The Global
Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) was conducted in
Brazil to provide data on
tobacco use in order to monitor the
WHO FCTC implementation in the country. It was carried out in 2008 using an international standardized
methodology. The instrument included questions about
tobacco use prevalence, cessation,
secondhand smoke,
knowledge,
attitudes, media and
advertising. Weighted
analysis was used to obtain estimates. A total of 39,425 interviews were conducted. The
prevalence of current
tobacco use was 17.5%, (22.0%,
men; 13.3%,
women). The majority of users were
smokers (17.2%) and their percentage was higher in
rural areas (20.4%) than in
urban areas (16.6%). About 20% of individuals reported having been exposed to
tobacco smoke in public places. Over 70% of
respondents said they had noticed anti-
smoking information in several media and around 65% of
smokers said they had considered quitting because of
warning labels. About 30% of
respondents had noticed
cigarette advertising at selling points and 96% recognized
tobacco use as a
risk factor for serious
diseases. Data in this
report can be used as baseline for evaluation of new
tobacco control approaches in
Brazil, vis-
-vis
WHO FCTC demand reduction
measures (AU)