TY - JOUR
T1 - Smokeless Tobacco in Uganda
T2 - Perceptions among Tobacco Control Stakeholders
AU - Male, Denis
AU - Kansabe, Shirley
AU - Lukwata, Hafsa
AU - Rubanga, Alexander
AU - Siddiqi, Kamran
AU - Bauld, Linda
AU - McNeill, Ann
AU - Dobbie, Fiona
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This research was funded by the Government of the Republic of Uganda through Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF), grant number RIF1/CAES/010. D.M. was also supported under the Tobacco Control Capacity Programme with funding from UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund, grant number MR/P027946/2.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2022/3/14
Y1 - 2022/3/14
N2 - The use and sale of smokeless tobacco (SLT) is prohibited in Uganda under the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), 2015. Nonetheless, SLT products remain available, and there are limited and inconsistent data on SLT users. Additionally, the perceptions of tobacco control stakeholders on SLT are unknown, making it difficult to determine barriers to enforcing the ban. This study examined perceptions of tobacco control stakeholders regarding SLT in Uganda. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders who were purposively selected from ministries, semi-autonomous government agencies and Civil Society Organizations. Interviews explored knowledge, attitudes, perceptions of SLT appeal, and user demographics. Data were analysed using Nvivo V.12 software. Participants demonstrated a general lack of awareness of SLT product types and the extent of their use. They believed SLT use was increasing among females and minors and was as harmful to health and the economy as smoking. SLT products were thought to be cheaper than cigarettes and to appeal to minors. Discreet use was thought to help users overcome the cultural aversion towards tobacco use among women and youth in Uganda. There is an urgent need to strengthen the implementation of the SLT ban whilst also increasing efforts to reduce tobacco smoking.
AB - The use and sale of smokeless tobacco (SLT) is prohibited in Uganda under the Tobacco Control Act (TCA), 2015. Nonetheless, SLT products remain available, and there are limited and inconsistent data on SLT users. Additionally, the perceptions of tobacco control stakeholders on SLT are unknown, making it difficult to determine barriers to enforcing the ban. This study examined perceptions of tobacco control stakeholders regarding SLT in Uganda. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders who were purposively selected from ministries, semi-autonomous government agencies and Civil Society Organizations. Interviews explored knowledge, attitudes, perceptions of SLT appeal, and user demographics. Data were analysed using Nvivo V.12 software. Participants demonstrated a general lack of awareness of SLT product types and the extent of their use. They believed SLT use was increasing among females and minors and was as harmful to health and the economy as smoking. SLT products were thought to be cheaper than cigarettes and to appeal to minors. Discreet use was thought to help users overcome the cultural aversion towards tobacco use among women and youth in Uganda. There is an urgent need to strengthen the implementation of the SLT ban whilst also increasing efforts to reduce tobacco smoking.
KW - Comprehensive ban
KW - Illicit trade
KW - Law enforcement
KW - Smokeless tobacco
KW - Stakeholder perception
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85126306108&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph19063398
DO - 10.3390/ijerph19063398
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85126306108
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 19
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 6
M1 - 3398
ER -