Prevalence of smoking in Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT

The expansion of transnational corporations into international markets began in the early 1950s, accelerated in the 1960s, and was characterized by denationalization of local tobacco industries and development of consumer preference for the products of these corporations. In Latin America and the Caribbean, these events occurred along with complex social and demographic changes- often characterized as a demographic transition-that made the area an attractive market for tobacco. These changes were not uniform throughout the region nor even, in some instances, uniform within a single country. Nonetheless, four main sociodemographic factors have contributed to the potential of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean to initiate cigarette smoking. These factors are growth of groups likely to smoke, dissemination of an urban lifestyle, greater access to education, and the entry of women into the labor force. These factors are summarized and related to available data on the prevalence of smoking