In this episode, researcher Chimwemwe Ngoma breaks down a comprehensive national study analyzing the tobacco use patterns of over 30,500 adults. While an overwhelming 95% of Malawians do not use tobacco, the data reveals a stark socioeconomic divide: smoking prevalence among the poorest communities is double that of the wealthiest.
Transcription:
00:00 - 00:08
[Joanna Junak]
Okay, so Chim, first question about your study. Could you briefly tell us what your study is about?
00:08 - 00:47
[Chimwemwe Ngoma]
All right, this is a national representative analysis of tobacco use patterns in Malawi, where we used the 2024 demographic and health survey. Pretty much, we examined the prevalence and the socioeconomic drivers of tobacco use among 30,500 adults. Essentially, we wanted to understand who is using tobacco, what forms or products are they using and how factors like wealth, education and region influence these behaviours.
00:49 - 00:54
[Joanna Junak]
And what makes your study different from previous research on tobacco use in Malawi?
00:55 - 01:27
[Chimwemwe Ngoma]
While previous research has mainly focused on smoking, this study is unique because it specifically differentiates between exclusive combustible use, smokeless use and dual use. It also uses advanced statistical tools like the work staff concentration index to formally quantify exactly how tobacco use is concentrated among the poor.
01:29 - 01:37
[Joanna Junak]
And what did you find when you looked at different types of tobacco use such as combustible, smokeless and dual use?
01:38 - 02:08
[Chimwemwe Ngoma]
So the study found that a vast majority of Malawians, about 95%, do not use any form of tobacco. But among those who do, combustible use, exclusive combustible use, is the most dominant form at about 3.7%. For smokeless and dual use, they are very low at 0.12% and 0.26% respectively.
02:08 - 02:16
[Joanna Junak]
Okay great, and how do social and economic differences in Malawi affect tobacco use and health outcomes?
02:18 - 03:06
[Chimwemwe Ngoma]
The study found a proper concentration of tobacco use in Malawi, which means that the burden falls heavily among the poor communities or the disadvantaged communities. For instance, the study found that in the poorest wealth quantile, the smoking preference is double the preference in the richest. Additionally, we found that people with higher education 64% less likely to smoke and 94% less likely to be dual users as compared to those who have no education.
03:08 - 03:08
[Joanna Junak]
Thank you, Chim.