‘Arab men, Western women top smokers’

Dubai, May 31: About 17.2 per cent of Dubai residents smoke and one-third of the Emirate’s population is exposed to the risk of smoking, either directly or as passive smokers, revealed the Dubai Household Health Survey (DHHS).

Adults in Dubai reportedly smoke an average of 12 cigarettes a day. Men in Dubai are five times more likely to smoke as compared to women, and the prevalence of smoking among nationals is at 8.6 per cent, added the study, which examines the prevalence and risk factors of tobacco use in the Emirate.

According to the results, expatriates are more than twice as likely to smoke as UAE nationals. Arab expatriate men are the most likely to smoke among all Dubai males. In fact, the rate of smoking prevalence among this group is 50 per cent higher than other male expatriates and is double that of UAE national males.

Meanwhile, the study revealed that western expatriates are among the top smokers of all women in Dubai. Their smoking prevalence is ten times higher than the lowest prevalence groups such as Indians and Emiratis.

“Arab expatriates smoke more cigarettes per day than other nationalities, with an average of 16 cigarettes daily compared to the 12 for the total population,” it detailed.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced on Monday the results of the household health survey, which pointed out that it is common for 16.2 per cent of people in the 18 to 24 age group to smoke.

The habit is reportedly most common among people in the 40 to 59 age group, but almost equally common in those aged 18 to 39 years. The DHHS has been jointly conducted by the DHA and Dubai Statistics Centre last year, covering 5,000 households from the city’s diverse population, covering people from different nationalities, age and income groups. It involved face-to-face surveys with adults above 18 years of age.

The survey revealed that 13 per cent of smokers in Dubai started smoking by the time they completed secondary school. Amongst Emirati men who are smokers, one in every five, started smoking by the time they completed secondary school.

“Men who smoke start at the age of 10 and women start at the age of 13. By the age of 20, 50 per cent of men and women start to smoke.”

“UAE national men are 10 times more likely to smoke compared to UAE national women with the prevalence of smoking among men being 15.5 per cent, compared to only 1.5 per cent among females. The frequency of smoking decreases significantly at the age of 60, with only 10 per cent of smokers who fall under this age bracket,” the results elaborated.

Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA, said that the DHA has collated and analysed the critical data on smoking patterns including the percentage of the population who are smokers, the break up according to age and sex of smokers, their exposure to passive smoking as well as analysis of the places where they are most susceptible to passive smoking.”

“The DHHS showed that people in the lowest income quintile and the lowest educational level are approximately twice as likely to smoke, compared to people in the richest quintile and the highest educational level,” she added.

“The prevalence of smoking in the lowest income level is 18.9 per cent, whereas it is 10 per cent for those in the highest income level. Similarly, prevalence of smoking among the least educated group is 26.9 per cent compared to 12.1 percent among those with a university degree or higher,” Al Jassmi detailed on the survey.

“Most of the current male smokers in Dubai, at 18.1 per cent, smoke on a daily basis and only three per cent smoke occasionally, while most of the current female smokers in Dubai smoke on a daily basis, at 3.4 per cent. Only one per cent smoke occasionally. On average, adults in Dubai smoke for a period of about 10 years before they quit smoking,” the DHHS revealed.

According to Al Jassmi, about 17 per cent of non-smoking Dubai residents are exposed to passive smoking by staying in places where others smoke. Men are twice as likely to be exposed to passive smoking, at 19.8 per cent, as compared to women at 9.1 per cent.

“The exposure to passive smoking occurs for about five hours daily on an average. About 62 per cent of the non-smokers are exposed to passive smoking at work. Men are three times as likely to be exposed to passive smoking at work as compared to women. About 67 per cent of non-smokers are exposed to passive smoking at public places,” she elaborated.

Eldaw Abdalla Suliman, head of Research and Performance Management at the DHA, said that the study also examined prevalence of other forms of smoking including shisha and smokeless tobacco as well as the prevalence of passive smoking.

“The DHA will draft new policies and programmes in accordance with the study revelations to reduce smoking in the emirate, with more focus on conducting peer-to-peer school awareness initiatives on anti-tobacco,” he added.

--Agencies