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).

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....