Tobacco smoking in Black and White South Africans.
OBJECTIVE
To provide data on black and white South Africans' tobacco use status, belief in the benefits to health of not smoking, risk awareness in terms of knowledge of the links between smoking and disease, health status, subjective health status and well-being.


METHODS
Randomised study.


METHODS
Two urban communities in the Northern Province of South Africa.


METHODS
Two hundred and fifty blacks and 250 whites. The black participants were 100 (40%) men and 150 (60%) women in the age range of 18 to 80 years (mean = 38.9 years, SD=4.7), and the white participants were 111 (44.4%) men and 139 (55.6%) women in the age range of 19 to 91 years (mean = 41.8 years, SD=3.5).


METHODS
A measure of smoking, health benefits, risk awareness, health status, subjective health and subjective well-being.


RESULTS
The average prevalence of current smoking was 11.2% in Blacks, 23.6% in whites, 31.8% in men and 6.9% in women. Age, being male, being white, and being married or living with a partner were significantly positively associated with smoking status and smoking frequency. Risk awareness of the negative effects of smoking and the belief in the importance of not smoking were both significantly negatively associated with both smoking status and smoking frequency.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of smoking tobacco, especially among males and Whites as well as the low risk awareness of smoking is a cause of concern. Stronger beliefs in the importance of not smoking, being female and lower age were identified as independent predictors among non-smokers than smokers.
Peltzer
K
K
Department of Psychology, University of the North, Sovenga, South Africa.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People