Botswana

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

FACT SHEET • • • • • • • • 

A two-stage cluster sample design was used to produce representative data for all of Botswana. At the first stage, schools were selected with probability proportional to enrollment size. At the second stage, classes were randomly selected and all students in selected classes were eligible to participate. The school response rate was 96.0%, the student response rate was 95.6%, and the overall response rate was 91.7%. A total of 1920 students participated in the Botswana GYTS.

Prevalence

16.3% of students had ever smoked cigarettes (Male = 24.1%, Female = 10.0%)

14.2% currently use any tobacco product (Male = 17.0%, Female = 11.6%)

5.5% currently smoke cigarettes (Male = 8.7%, Female = 2.6%)

10.8% currently use other tobacco products (Male = 11.1%, Female = 10.6%)

8.1% of never smokers are likely to initiate smoking next year

Knowledge and Attitudes

54.3% think boys and 30.1% think girls who smoke have more friends

27.5% think boys and 16.6% think girls who smoke look more attractive

28.6% usually smoke at home

23.7% buy cigarettes in a store

* Who bought cigarettes in a store were NOT refused purchase because of their age

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

36.3% live in homes where others smoke in their presence

55.7% are around others who smoke in places outside their home

70.9% think smoking should be banned from public places

71.1% think smoke from others is harmful to them

30.0% have one or more parents who smoke

7.0% have most or all friends who smoke

Cessation - Current Smokers

63.5% want to stop smoking

68.3% tried to stop smoking during the past year

64.9% have ever received help to stop smoking

Media and Advertising

71.7% saw anti-smoking media messages, in the past 30 days

54.5% saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards, in the past 30 days

58.6% saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines, in the past 30 days

13.9% have an object with a cigarette brand logo

14.9% were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative

School

69.8% had been taught in class, during the past year, about the dangers of smoking

46.7% had discussed in class, during the past year, reasons why people their age smoke

57.9% had been taught in class, during the past year, the effects of tobacco use

* Less than 35 students participated

Highlights

• 14% of students currently use any form of tobacco; 6% currently smoke cigarettes; 11% currently use some other form of tobacco.

• ETS exposure is high - almost 4 in 10 students live in homes where others smoke in their presence; almost 6 in 10 are exposed to smoke in public places; 3 in 10 have parents who smoke.

• 7 in 10 students think smoke from others is harmful to them.

• 7 in 10 students think smoking in public places should be banned.

• Over 6 in 10 smokers want to quit.

•  Over 7 in 10 students saw anti-smoking media messages in the past 30 days; almost 6 in 10 students saw pro-cigarette ads in the past 30 days.