The Impact of Exposure to Tobacco Marketing on Smoking Behavior among Commercial Motorcyclists in a Sub-Urban Nigerian Community

Exposure to tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship (TAPS) has been associated with tobacco use. However, there has been a dearth of studies in Nigeria that have evaluated this association. This study evaluated the impact of TAPS exposure on smoking behavior among commercial motorcycle riders in Igboora community. A multi-staged cross-sectional study was used to recruit 255 commercial motorcycle riders in Igboora community using an interviewer-based questionnaire. TAPS factors associated with smoking were assessed using logistic regression. There were 138 ever-smokers and 117 never-smokers. Compared to the never smokers, ever smokers were more likely to have items with cigarette brand logo (aOR=2.36; p=0·003), watch sports or other events on TV where cigarette brand names were shown (aOR=2.56; p=0·002), see less anti-smoking messages on billboards (aOR=2.54; p=0·001), see cigarettes advertisement or promotion in newspapers and magazines (aOR=2.78; p=0·005), have been offered a free cigarette by a cigarette brand representative during tobacco promoting programs (OR=2.57; p=0·004). Our study result provided baseline information for the government to evaluate current TAPS regulatory efforts and guide future decision making.