Predictors of cigarette and shisha use in Nima and Osu communities, Accra, Ghana: A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION Tobacco use in any form leads to mortality and morbidity of millions of people every year, not only tobacco users but also non-users by inhaling secondhand tobacco smoke. The objective of this study was to assess predictors of cigarette and shisha use in urban and urban slum communities in Accra, Ghana. METHODS A cross-sectional study design was employed, using a quantitative data collection technique over two months, May to June 2017. Logistic regression was used to study the association between demographic characteristics of respondents and cigarette/shisha use, and data were analyzed in STATA. RESULTS The study included 389 respondents from urban (135) and urban slum (254) communities in the capital Accra. The prevalence of ever smoking cigarettes, shisha and electronic cigarettes was 24.9% (95% CI: 20.8-29.5), 34.6% (95% CI: 30.0-39.6) and 15.1% (95% CI: 11.3-19.8), respectively. For current smokers, 13.1% (95% CI: 10.1-16.9) smoked cigarettes, 10.3% (95% CI: 7.6-13.7) smoked shisha, and 19.5% (95% CI: 15.9-23.8) smoked either cigarettes or shisha. Respondents aged 26-35 years (OR=2.22; 95% CI: 1.08-4.56, p=0.029) and those with no employment (OR=2.30; 95% CI: 1.19-4.44, p=0.013) had higher odds of cigarette/shisha use compared to those aged 18-25 years and the employed, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The provision of adequate resources and continued engagement of relevant stakeholders, can strengthen smoke-free law implementation in Ghana and protect citizens from the harmful effects of tobacco use.