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Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

Malawi

Fact Sheet • • • • • • • •

The Malawi GYTS includes data on prevalence of cigarette and other tobacco use as well as information on five determinants of tobacco use: access/availability and price, environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS), cessation, media and advertising, and school curriculum. These determinants are components Malawi could include in a comprehensive tobacco control program.

The Malawi GYTS was a school-based survey of students in standards 7, 8, and form 1conducted in 2005.

A two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative data for Malawi. At the first stage, schools were selected with probability proportional to enrollment size. At the second stage, classes were randomly selected and all students in selected classes were eligible to participate. The school response rate was 96.83%, the student response rate was 84.25%, and the overall response rate was 81.57%. A total of 5,135 students participated in the Malawi GYTS.

Prevalence

8.9% of students had ever smoked cigarettes (Male = 12.7%, Female = 5.2%)

17.9% currently use any tobacco product (Male = 19.2%, Female = 16.7%)

3.2% currently smoke cigarettes (Male = 4.0%, Female = 2.4%)

16.5% currently use other tobacco products (Male = 17.6%, Female = 15.5%)

3.6% of never smokers are likely to initiate smoking next year

Knowledge and Attitudes

38.0% think boys and 24.0% think girls who smoke have more friends

3.7% think boys and 4.3% think girls who smoke look more attractive

Access and Availability - Current Smokers

15.5% usually smoke at home

31.4% buy cigarettes in a store

55.4% who bought cigarettes in a store were NOT refused purchase because of their age

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

10.8% live in homes where others smoke in their presence

23.4% are around others who smoke in places outside their home

83.7% think smoking should be banned from public places

82.9% think smoke from others is harmful to them

10.0% have one or more parents who smoke

5.6% have most or all friends who smoke

Cessation - Current Smokers

72.1% want to stop smoking

65.0% tried to stop smoking during the past year

92.5% have ever received help to stop smoking

Media and Advertising

84.9% saw anti-smoking media messages, in the past 30 days

53.2% saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards, in the past 30 days

50.3% saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines, in the past 30 days

22.3% have an object with a cigarette brand logo

13.2% were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative

School

61.7% had been taught in class, during the past year, about the dangers of smoking

45.0% had discussed in class, during the past year, reasons why people their age smoke

64.0% had been taught in class, during the past year, the effects of tobacco use

Highlights

  • Nearly 1 in 6 students currently use any form of tobacco; 3.2% of the students currently smoke cigarettes; 16.5% currently use some other form of tobacco.
  • Over 1 in 10 students live in homes where others smoke and almost one-quarter of the students are exposed to smoke around others outside of the home; 10% of students have a parent who smokes, and 6% of the students have friends who smoke.
  • Over 8 in 10 students think smoke from others is harmful to them.
  • Nearly three-quarters of the current smokers want to stop smoking.
  • Over 13% of students were offered a free cigarette by a tobacco company representative.
  • 85% of students saw anti-smoking media messages in the past 30 days; 53% of students saw pro-cigarette ads in the past 30 days.

For additional information, please E-mail:
tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov

 

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Page last modified 06/27/2007