Prevalence of tobacco use in selected Johannesburg suburbs

Background. Tobacco smoking is estimated to kill more than 44 000 South Africans every year. Studies have shown that since the introduction of tobacco control measures, national smoking prevalence has declined in South Africa (SA). Objective. To determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking over a 7-year period in five impoverished neighbourhoods in Johannesburg, SA.Methods. Data were collected through the annual administration of a prestructured questionnaire to one adult respondent in preselected dwellings from 2006 to 2012. Information was collected on socioeconomic status, smoking practices and health status.Results. Over the 7-year period of the analysis, smoking levels remained unchanged. The proportion of households with one or more smokers varied significantly across the five study neighbourhoods. Approximately 20% of households in Hillbrow and as many as 77% in Riverlea had a member who smoked.Conclusions. Despite a national downward trend in smoking levels, tobacco use remains high and persistent in certain vulnerable communities, requiring scaled-up action to reduce the risk of a range of tobacco-related diseases

The Prevalence and Health Implications of Violence in Impoverished Communities in Johannesburg

The experience of violent crime can have a significant impact on the physical and psychological well-being of victims and their families. This paper looks at household experience of violence in five impoverished sites in the city of Johannesburg; South Africa. Five sites were purposefully selected to reflect the prevailing housing profiles in settings of relative impoverishment in Johannesburg. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on demographic profiles; socioeconomic data; environmental conditions and health status. Bivariate analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between household experience of violence; and potential risk factors and health/social outcomes. Overall; members of 28of households had been a victim of violence in the year preceding the study. Across sites; experience of violence within households ranged from 21to 36. Perceptions of drug abuse (p=0.01) and drug peddling (p=0.03) as being major problems in the neighbourhood; and living in a house of poor quality (p=0.01); were significantly associated with household experience of crime. In households with experience of violence; fear of crime (p=0.03) and depression (p 0.001) were elevated; and levels of exercise in men were decreased (p