Exposure to Secondhand Smoke in the Home and Public areas among Adolescents in Abuja, Nigeria: Tobacco control implications

Introduction:
Secondhand smoke (SHS) causes death and disease among non-smokers. In 2008, the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, passed a comprehensive smoke-free law. This study assessed the baseline prevalence of SHS exposure in the home and at public areas among secondary school students in Abuja, Nigeria during 2008.

Material and Methods:
The 2008 Global Youth Tobacco Survey was analysed for 1399 students in Abuja. Prevalence of support for smoke-free laws in public places as well as of exposure to SHS in the home and at non-home areas (including public spaces) was calculated overall, as well as by population subgroups. Chi-squared test was used to assess statistical significance of within-group differences. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess significant correlates of SHS exposure and support for smoke-free laws. All analyses were 2-tailed and the level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results:
Overall prevalence of SHS exposure in the home was 24.1 % (95%CI: 21.1-27.1) while the prevalence of SHS exposure in non-home areas, including public spaces was 43.0% (95%CI: 36.6-49.4). The odds of exposure to SHS were significantly higher among current smokers as well as students that had ≥1 close friend that smoked. Overall, 55.3% of students supported smoke-free policies in public places.

Conclusions:
This study showed that a substantial proportion of adolescents in Abuja were exposed to SHS in public places in 2008. Monitoring and evaluation of existing smoke-free policies will provide evidence base for strengthening existing measures or introducing new evidence-based interventions to help reduce youth SHS exposure.