Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors Shaping Tobacco Consumption in Turkey: The Role of Socioeconomic and Demographic Variables and Policy Recommendations

Abstract

Tobacco use is a major public health issue globally due to its harmful and life-threatening consequences. This study examined smoking behavior using a comprehensive dataset of socioeconomic, psychological, cultural, and health information from individuals and households across Turkey. The study utilized data from the 2016 Turkey Health Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). This nationwide survey includes 17,242 individuals aged 15 and over, with detailed socio-demographic, economic, cultural, health, and psychological information. The Zero Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) model was employed to assess the impact of various factors on daily tobacco use in Turkey. The analysis identified age, education level, exposure to smoking, chronic health issues, loneliness, employment status, having young children, household income, gender, depression index, and household size as significant factors influencing cigarette consumption. Both the initiation and amount of smoking are shaped by a complex interplay of these factors. The findings underscore the importance of income, gender, family structure, social relationships, age, education, and health in determining smoking behavior.