Relatively low incidence of tobacco use among Africa’s pregnant women

Africa has the lowest incidence of tobacco use among pregnant women, according to a Ghana News Agency report citing a study of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) published in the September edition of the Lancet Global Health Journal.

The study, which was said to be the largest to provide contemporary evidence on tobacco use during pregnancy, uses nationally representative samples from 54 LMICs. It was conducted during 2001-2012.

According to the study, about one in every 30 pregnant women in LMICs uses tobacco, but there are wide variations in prevalence within and between regions.

Southeast Asia, for instance, has the highest regional prevalence of tobacco use among pregnant women. In 21 of the 54 countries researched, smokeless tobacco was the primary form of tobacco use among pregnant women.