Socioeconomic Status and Tobacco Expenditures among Moroccans: Results of the “Maroc Tabagisme” Survey

Abstract

Purpose.

To investigate the relationship of sociodemographic and economic characteristics to tobacco expenses among Moroccan daily smokers.

Design.

Cross-sectional (“Maroc Tabagisme” Survey) study.

Setting.

Random sample of 9195 subjects representative of the Moroccan population.

Subjects.

Household subjects 15 years and older.

Measures.

Data were collected from selected households using a questionnaire about smoking, educational level, occupation, and household monthly income.

Analysis.

Associations between sociodemographic and economic characteristics, smoking status, and tobacco expenses were assessed by multivariate analysis in a sample of 5959 respondents who provided details about their family income.

Results.

Of 5959 participants, 28.5% of men and 2.8% of women were daily smokers. Compared with students, the odds of daily smoking were higher among blue-collar workers (odds ratio, 2.66). Tobacco expenses increased with higher family monthly income (p < .001). Moreover, smokers whose family monthly income was less than 1000 Moroccan dirham (MAD) spent 50.9% on tobacco, while those with family monthly income of 6000 MAD or higher spent 13.0% on tobacco.

Conclusions.

There was a strong association between tobacco expenses and sociodemographic and economic characteristics. Among households with low monthly income, up to half of the monthly income is spent on tobacco.

Keywords

Tobacco Expenditure Monthly Income Morocco Smokers Manuscript format: research Research purpose: modeling/relationship testing Study design: nonexperimental Outcome measure: behavioral Setting: state/national Health focus: smoking control Strategy: skill building/behavior change Target population age: adults Target population circumstances: education/income level,geographic location

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