Knowledge and perceptions of smoking according to income level in Morocco.

PURPOSE: To determine the association between income level and variations in knowledge and perceptions about tobacco smoking in Morocco. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Random sample of 9195 subjects representative of the Moroccan population. SUBJECTS: Subjects aged >15 years from households. MEASURES: Data were collected from selected households using a standardized questionnaire about smoking, educational level, household monthly income, and knowledge of health effects of smoking. ANALYSIS: Stepwise logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for each variable were calculated as an estimate of the likelihood of having knowledge that smoking causes selected diseases. RESULTS: Among 9195 subjects, 27.8% reported low income (<2000 Moroccan dirhams [MAD]), and 9.9% reported the highest income level (≥6000 MAD). Higher income was significantly associated with higher knowledge of health effects of smoking (p < .0001); 55% of low-income respondents compared to 71.5% of respondents with higher income knew about the relationship between cigarette smoking and cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Lower income level was associated with lower awareness of the harms of smoking. There is a need to improve knowledge of the dangers of smoking among the disadvantaged segments of the population.

Determining factors of anxiety in patients at the preoperative stage.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate patient preoperative anxiety, and determine associated factors. METHODS: Fifty surgical patients were investigated prospectively at the University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco between January and June 2008. Ethical Committee approval was obtained prior to conducting this study. A short version of the Hamilton scale was used. Descriptive statistics, student`s t-test, and ANOVA were performed to probe the sociodemographic impact factors on Hamilton scores. We investigated scores superior to 14 indicating a pathologic anxiety situation. A logistic regression was carried out by including all variables; the significant threshold was 0.15 in single variable analysis, and we retained a significant threshold of 0.05 in the final model. RESULTS: A significant decrease in anxiety from the preoperative to the postoperative stage was observed in all patients of merged surgery groups. Females had higher preoperational anxiety compared with males. A longer hospitalization stay and lower knowledge of patients regarding their pathologies were the main factors that increased the anxiety scores towards a pathological anxiety state. This applied to all patients, including higher education and prosperous social classes. CONCLUSION: Patient sociodemographic, psychological history, and surgery type have to be considered for identifying patients at risk for developing anxiety before and after surgery. Psychological support has to be established to avoid additional suffering of the patient from anxiety.

Socioeconomic status and tobacco expenditures among Moroccans: results of the "Maroc Tabagisme" survey.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship of sociodemographic and economic characteristics to tobacco expenses among Moroccan daily smokers. DESIGN: Cross-sectional ("Maroc Tabagisme" Survey) study. SETTING: Random sample of 9195 subjects representative of the Moroccan population. SUBJECTS: Household subjects 15 years and older. MEASURES: Data were collected from selected households using a questionnaire about smoking, educational level, occupation, and household monthly income. ANALYSIS: Associations between sociodemographic and economic characteristics, smoking status, and tobacco expenses were assessed by multivariate analysis in a sample of 5959 respondents who provided details about their family income. RESULTS: Of 5959 participants, 28.5% of men and 2.8% of women were daily smokers. Compared with students, the odds of daily smoking were higher among blue-collar workers (odds ratio, 2.66). Tobacco expenses increased with higher family monthly income (p < .001). Moreover, smokers whose family monthly income was less than 1000 Moroccan dirham (MAD) spent 50.9% on tobacco, while those with family monthly income of 6000 MAD or higher spent 13.0 %on tobacco. CONCLUSIONS: There was a strong association between tobacco expenses and sociodemographic and economic characteristics. Among households with low monthly income, up to half of the monthly income is spent on tobacco.