Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 24:22.
doi: 10.18332/tid/186170. eCollection 2024.

Tobacco smoking-attributable mortality in Kenya, 2012-2021

Lazarus Odeny  1 , Gladwell Gathecha  2 , Valerian Mwenda  2 , Anne Kendagor  2 , Samuel Cheburet  2 , Beatrice Mugi  3 , Caroline Mithi  4 , Florence Jaguga  5 , Kennedy Okinda  6 , Rachel K Devotsu  7 , Shukri F Mohamed  8 , Jane Rahedi Ong'ang'o  1
Affiliations

Tobacco smoking-attributable mortality in Kenya, 2012-2021

Lazarus Odeny et al. Tob Induc Dis. .

Abstract

Introduction: Tobacco smoking poses a significant risk for various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers. In Kenya, tobacco-related deaths contribute substantially to non-communicable disease mortality. This study aims to quantify the mortality attributed to tobacco smoking in Kenya from 2012 to 2021.

Methods: Employing a prevalence-based analysis model, the study utilized population attributable fraction (PAF) to estimate age-specific smoke attributable mortality (SAM) rates for individuals aged ≥35 years. Causes of death associated with tobacco use, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, and diabetes, were analyzed based on age, sex, and death records between 2012 and 2021.

Results: Over the study period, 60228 deaths were attributed to tobacco-related diseases, with an annual increase observed until 2016 and subsequent fluctuations. Respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, malignant cancers, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular diseases collectively accounted for 16.5% of deaths among individuals aged ≥35 years. Notable contributors were pneumonia and influenza (respiratory diseases), esophageal cancer (cancers), and cerebrovascular diseases (cardiovascular diseases). Of the observed deaths, 16.5% were attributed to smoking, with respiratory diseases (40.5%), malignant cancers (31.4%), tuberculosis (13%), cardiovascular diseases (8.9%), and diabetes mellitus (6.1%) contributing. Pneumonia and influenza, esophageal cancer, chronic airway obstruction, and tuberculosis were primary causes, comprising 70% of all SAM.

Conclusions: Tobacco-related mortality is a significant public health concern in Kenya. Efforts should focus on preventing tobacco use and managing associated disease burdens. Smoking cessation initiatives and comprehensive tobacco control measures are imperative to mitigate the impact on population health.

Keywords: population attributable fraction; smoking attributable mortality; smoking prevalence; tobacco control; tobacco smoking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have each completed and submitted an ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. The authors declare that they have no competing interests, financial or otherwise, related to the current work. All the authors report that since the initial planning of the work, Development Gateway funded the publication of the manuscript and in the past 36 months supported the participation in Mombasa meeting in 27 November - 2 December 2023. L. Odeny, G. Gathecha, V. Mwenda, A. Kendagor, S. Cheburet, B. Mugi, C. Mithi, F. Jaguga, K. Okinda, J.R. Ong’ang’o, report that in the past 36 months, Development Gateway paid the consultation fees. K. Okinda reports that in the past 36 months, Development Gateway provided support for attending a training for research assistants in Nairobi. R.K. Devotsu reports that since the initial planning of the work, Development Gateway funded the research and is paying for the publication of the manuscript, and that in the past 36 months received employment contract as Regional Manager for Africa from McCabe Centre for Law and cancer, consulting fees from Development Gateway (Consultancy contract as a Senior Tobacco Control Adviser) and consulting fees from Union for International Cancer Control (Consultancy contract to build tobacco tax advocacy coalitions in Kenya and Uganda), and that she was a board member at Kenya Cancer Association and International Institute for Legislative Affairs. S.F. Mohamed reports that in the past 36 months, Development Gateway paid for the project management fees.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Absolute mortality numbers from medical records of persons aged ≥35 years who died due to smoking-related diseases in Kenya, 2012–2021
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mortality rate trends for 60228 persons aged ≥35 years who died due to tobacco-related diseases in Kenya, 2012–2021
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization . Global Health Risks: Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. World Health Organization; 2009. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/44203/9789241563871_eng.pdf?...
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2004. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44695/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK44695.pdf
    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking: 25 Years of Progress. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 1989:1-32. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/13240
    1. IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans . Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking. WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2004:1-14383. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans; Vol. 83. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK316407/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK316407.pdf - PMC - PubMed
    1. GBD 2019 Tobacco Collaborators . Spatial, temporal, and demographic patterns in prevalence of smoking tobacco use and attributable disease burden in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet. 2021;397(10292):2337-2360. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01169-7 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources