The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data

OBJECTIVE: Health and well-being are profoundly influenced by gender and its dimensions. This study explores the intricate relationship between gender roles and tobacco use. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study investigates correlations between the Gender Development Index (GDI), the Global Gender Gap I...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hanife Ece Erik, Tülin Çoban, Lütfiye Hilal Özcebe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AVES 2025-03-01
Series:Thoracic Research and Practice
Subjects:
Online Access:https://thoracrespract.org/articles/the-relationship-between-gender-and-womens-tobacco-use-an-ecological-analysis-with-country-level-data/doi/ThoracResPract.2024.24072
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832539980222693376
author Hanife Ece Erik
Tülin Çoban
Lütfiye Hilal Özcebe
author_facet Hanife Ece Erik
Tülin Çoban
Lütfiye Hilal Özcebe
author_sort Hanife Ece Erik
collection DOAJ
description OBJECTIVE: Health and well-being are profoundly influenced by gender and its dimensions. This study explores the intricate relationship between gender roles and tobacco use. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study investigates correlations between the Gender Development Index (GDI), the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), and its sub-indicators—critical markers of gender equality—and tobacco prevalence and tobacco-related mortality. Statistical analyses, conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Science and Microsoft Excel, involve Spearman correlation analysis for continuous numerical data and the Kruskal-Wallis H test for differences between means. RESULTS: As per the GDI, a decrease in gender inequality correlates with an increase in tobacco prevalence among women. The highest prevalence of tobacco use in women is found in countries within GDI group 1, with the lowest observed in group 5, characterized by pronounced gender inequality. A moderate positive correlation is identified between the prevalence of tobacco use in women and the GDI, GGGI, and the education sub-component of GGGI. Similarly, a moderate positive relationship is observed between tobacco-related mortality in women and the education subcomponent of GGGI. Education exhibits the highest correlation with both tobacco prevalence and tobacco-related mortality in women. CONCLUSION: The increased prevalence of tobacco use among women in countries with high education and socioeconomic status suggests the early stages of the tobacco epidemic. Smoking cessation remains a persistent challenge, especially for women. The study emphasizes the imperative for tailored gender-specific policies, highlighting the integration of gender considerations into health promotion and public health initiatives.
format Article
id doaj-art-902cb7a94d85485ba4539ece25c00c9d
institution Kabale University
issn 2979-9139
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher AVES
record_format Article
series Thoracic Research and Practice
spelling doaj-art-902cb7a94d85485ba4539ece25c00c9d2025-02-05T06:15:39ZengAVESThoracic Research and Practice2979-91392025-03-01262616810.4274/ThoracResPract.2024.24072The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level DataHanife Ece Erik0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0707-0306Tülin Çoban1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1665-129XLütfiye Hilal Özcebe2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0918-8519Yozgat Provincial Health Directorate, Yozgat, TürkiyeAnkara Altındağ District Health Directorate, Ankara, TürkiyeDepartment of Public Health, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, TürkiyeOBJECTIVE: Health and well-being are profoundly influenced by gender and its dimensions. This study explores the intricate relationship between gender roles and tobacco use. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study investigates correlations between the Gender Development Index (GDI), the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), and its sub-indicators—critical markers of gender equality—and tobacco prevalence and tobacco-related mortality. Statistical analyses, conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Science and Microsoft Excel, involve Spearman correlation analysis for continuous numerical data and the Kruskal-Wallis H test for differences between means. RESULTS: As per the GDI, a decrease in gender inequality correlates with an increase in tobacco prevalence among women. The highest prevalence of tobacco use in women is found in countries within GDI group 1, with the lowest observed in group 5, characterized by pronounced gender inequality. A moderate positive correlation is identified between the prevalence of tobacco use in women and the GDI, GGGI, and the education sub-component of GGGI. Similarly, a moderate positive relationship is observed between tobacco-related mortality in women and the education subcomponent of GGGI. Education exhibits the highest correlation with both tobacco prevalence and tobacco-related mortality in women. CONCLUSION: The increased prevalence of tobacco use among women in countries with high education and socioeconomic status suggests the early stages of the tobacco epidemic. Smoking cessation remains a persistent challenge, especially for women. The study emphasizes the imperative for tailored gender-specific policies, highlighting the integration of gender considerations into health promotion and public health initiatives.https://thoracrespract.org/articles/the-relationship-between-gender-and-womens-tobacco-use-an-ecological-analysis-with-country-level-data/doi/ThoracResPract.2024.24072tobacco usegender equityhealth policy
spellingShingle Hanife Ece Erik
Tülin Çoban
Lütfiye Hilal Özcebe
The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data
Thoracic Research and Practice
tobacco use
gender equity
health policy
title The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data
title_full The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data
title_fullStr The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data
title_full_unstemmed The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data
title_short The Relationship Between Gender and Women’s Tobacco Use: An Ecological Analysis with Country-level Data
title_sort relationship between gender and women s tobacco use an ecological analysis with country level data
topic tobacco use
gender equity
health policy
url https://thoracrespract.org/articles/the-relationship-between-gender-and-womens-tobacco-use-an-ecological-analysis-with-country-level-data/doi/ThoracResPract.2024.24072
work_keys_str_mv AT hanifeeceerik therelationshipbetweengenderandwomenstobaccouseanecologicalanalysiswithcountryleveldata
AT tulincoban therelationshipbetweengenderandwomenstobaccouseanecologicalanalysiswithcountryleveldata
AT lutfiyehilalozcebe therelationshipbetweengenderandwomenstobaccouseanecologicalanalysiswithcountryleveldata
AT hanifeeceerik relationshipbetweengenderandwomenstobaccouseanecologicalanalysiswithcountryleveldata
AT tulincoban relationshipbetweengenderandwomenstobaccouseanecologicalanalysiswithcountryleveldata
AT lutfiyehilalozcebe relationshipbetweengenderandwomenstobaccouseanecologicalanalysiswithcountryleveldata