Mar 21, 2025

Dr. Charles Olomofe, visiting assistant professor of Public Health, published an article titled “Tobacco Use among Blue-collar Workers in Nigeria: A Survey of Construction Artisans in Ekiti State” in the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ).

The prevalence of tobacco use among blue-collar workers is disproportionately higher than in the general population, yet few studies have been conducted about such workers in Nigeria, the most populous country in sub-Saharan Africa. Olomofe and his co-authors identified this gap in the literature and the need to investigate the prevalence and understand the underlying factors for the high rate of smoking in blue-collar workers in a country like Nigeria where the majority of its informal sector workers are blue-collar.

The article explored this literature gap. It found that the prevalence of construction artisans who have ever smoked was 19.3%. Multivariate analysis showed that artisans who were within the age range of 31-40 years were four times more likely to use tobacco compared with people younger than 20 years. Additionally, being in school and being divorced/separated were statistically significantly associated with tobacco use.

The results of the study showed that smoke-free worksite regulations would be needed to curtail the smoking tendencies of these workers. The details of the article can be found here: https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com//content/article/50/7....