Econometric analysis of youth tobacco use: evidence from Lesotho global youth tobacco surveys
This dissertation estimates the prevalence of youth smoking and investigates the determinants of different tobacco products by gender among the youth aged 11 – 17+ years in Lesotho. This is achieved by estimating three independent gender logit regressions using Lesotho Global Youth Tobacco Surveys of 2002 and 2008. The results indicate that most youth smokers in Lesotho are males. The smoking prevalence amongst males is higher than amongst females for all three tobacco products: cigarettes, other smoked tobacco, and smokeless tobacco. Overall, smokeless tobacco has the highest prevalence (16.87%), followed by other smoked tobacco products (13.94%), and, lastly, by cigarettes (12.24%). The results further reveal that the determinants of smoking vary with the tobacco product type and gender. Cigarette smoking has a strong positive association with peer influence and the availability of loose cigarette sticks at retail stores, irrespective of gender. Exposure to other people's smoking in public and newspaper advertisements increase males' cigarette use, while exposure to other people's smoking inside the home increases females' cigarette smoking. The use of smokeless tobacco is negatively associated with being in the age group, 13 and 14 years, for both males and females. Among females only, the use of smokeless tobacco is strongly positively associated with having a mother as the only household smoker and parental discussions about smoking. Peer smoking is the primary determinant of the use of other smoked tobacco among males, while, for females, the main determinants of other smoked tobacco use are exposure to other people's smoking at home and parental discussions about tobacco use. The study recommends that Lesotho ban tobacco media advertising and promotions, abolish the sale of loose cigarette sticks, strengthen teaching at school about the dangers of tobacco, and introduce tobacco education in the Science subject in the early primary grades.
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