Tobacco Use and Tobacco-Related Behaviors—11 Countries, 2008-2017

MMWR Introduction

Each year, tobacco use is responsible for approximately 8 million deaths worldwide, including 7 million deaths among persons who use tobacco and 1.2 million deaths among nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS). Approximately 80% of the 1.1 billion persons who smoke tobacco worldwide reside in low- and middle-income countries.

CDC analyzed country-specific data from 11 countries that completed two or more rounds of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) during 2008-2017—Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Vietnam. The 11 countries included in this assessment of tobacco use and tobacco-related behaviors are home to 70% of the world’s tobacco users; approximately 2.3 million annual tobacco-attributable deaths occur in these countries. Continued surveillance of tobacco use, including new and emerging products, and other tobacco-related measures are also critical for informing tobacco control policy, planning, and practice worldwide.

MMWR Highlights

Analysis across the 11 countries indicated:

• • 20 million fewer adults used tobacco, with estimated percentage point differences ranging from -8.5% (Russian Federation) to +0.6% (Mexico).
  • 53.4 million adults experienced decreased exposure to SHS, with estimated percentage point differences ranging from -24.4% (Russian Federation) to +13.0% (Thailand).
  • 12.4 million additional tobacco users were considering quitting because of graphic warning labels, with estimated percentage point differences ranging from +21.1% (India) to -18.2% (Vietnam).
  • 98.8 million fewer adults were exposed to tobacco advertising, promotions, and sponsorships, with estimated percentage point differences ranging from -44.9% (Russian Federation) to +7.9% (Thailand).