Local and Global Health Rates of Tobacco Use Around the World Many factors influence rates of tobacco use around the world. Rates of tobacco use vary by country, sex, race and ethnicity, and age, to name a few. Rates of smoking vary considerably by country. People who live in higher-income countries are less likely to smoke than those who live in low-income countries. One explanation for this difference is that people with higher incomes tend to have higher levels of education. People with higher levels of education may be more aware of the health hazards of using tobacco. Rates of smoking also vary by sex. In most countries, males are more likely to smoke than females. Health experts believe these differences may reflect different gender roles. For example, some parts of the world may view females smoking as less acceptable than males smoking. In addition, females may not have access to money or be able to afford cigarettes in some countries. Rates of smoking are higher in some age groups than in others. Only about 10 percent of adults ages 18–24 smoke, compared to about 16 percent of adults ages 25–64. Smoking is less common (8.2 percent) in adults ages 65 and older. Vaping rates around the world are growing rapidly. The US, Japan, and the United Kingdom currently have the highest rates. Given the health risks of vaping, some countries have banned the use or sales of vaping devices completely. These countries include Chile, Nicaragua, Egypt, and Singapore. Practice Your Skills Analyze Influences Study the illustration of smoking rates in different regions of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). What do you observe? What are the similarities between different world regions? What are the differences? List the reasons you think may contribute to different rates of smoking in different parts of the world. Then, compare your reasons with those of a partner. How could you test which factors have the biggest influence? What are some questions health researchers could be testing? Describe how knowing these factors could help reduce tobacco use. Andrei Minsk/Shutterstock.com African Region Region of the Americas South-East Asia Region European Region Eastern Mediterranean Region Western Pacific Region Percentage of People Who Smoke by Biological Sex Female Male 13% 22% 19% 38% 2% 32% 3% 48% 3% 37% 2% 25% Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 11 Vaping and Tobacco 381