Smoking and drinking patterns among adults in South Africa
The Health Department has released its South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) for 2016, detailing key health issues amongst the country’s population including how many South Africans drink and smoke.
A nationally representative sample of over 15,000 dwelling units was selected, where trained teams of interviewers collected data in face-to-face interviews with adults (over the age of 15).
Drinkers
Only one in four women (26%), age 15 and older have ever drunk alcohol, with one in ten women having drunk alcohol in the past 7 days, according to the report.
In comparison, alcohol consumption is much more common among South African men, with six in ten men (61%) age 15 and older having ever drunk alcohol and four in ten (37%) reporting that they have drunk alcohol in the past 7 days.
More concerning is the fact that 28% of South African men exhibit risky drinking behaviour because they drank five or more standard measures of alcohol on a single occasion in the past 30 days.
Risky drinking among men rises rapidly by age, increasing from 12% of men age 15-19 to 31% of men age 20-24 and 36% of men age 25-34, before gradually declining.
According to the data, only 5% of women report risky drinking – drinking five or more standard measures of alcohol on a single occasion in the past 30 days.
By age, risky drinking among women was most common in the 20-24 year age group (9%) and lowest among women age 15-19 and 65 and older (2% each).
Smokers
According to the report only 7% of women aged 15 and above smoke tobacco products, while the prevalence of tobacco use is much higher at 37% for men aged 15 and above.
Despite the high male statistics, these percentages have been in a constant decline, with a total 11% of women and a total 42% of men having been smoking in 1998.
The report attributed the decreasing number of smokers to the strict legislation governing smoking in the country with South Africa becoming one of the first countries in the world to ban smoking in public places through the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act in 2000.
“We welcome the proof that smoking has come down,” said Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
“People have been debating – those who like to smoke – arguing that government laws have not changed the pattern of smoking. I’m happy that a body like Stats SA has proven that indeed it has, and significantly so.”
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