Smokeless tobacco use: its prevalence and relationships with dental symptoms, nutritional status and blood pressure among rural women in Burkina Faso

BACKGROUND: Sub-Saharan women use smokeless tobacco (SLT) more than smoked tobacco. Among Western African countries, the estimated weighted prevalence of SLT use in rural women was found to be the highest in Burkina Faso (after Sierra Leone). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of SLT use and its associated factors among rural women in Burkina Faso by using nationally representative data. METHODS: We used data from the 2013 STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) study, which provided sociodemographic, clinical (anthropometric, systolic blood pressure [SBP], diastolic blood pressure [DBP] and dental symptoms), biological (total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting blood sugar), and tobacco and alcohol consumption data. Data for 1730 rural women were used, and we performed Student's chi-squared and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of current SLT use was 13.8% (95% CI: 12.2-15.5). Significant risks for SLT use were the presence of dental symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.59; p < 0.001), undernourishment (aOR = 1.78; p < 0.01), decreased waist circumference (aOR = 0.98; p < 0.05), decreased DBP (aOR = 0.97; p < 0.01), increased SBP (aOR = 1.01; p < 0.05), and increased differential blood pressure (aOR = 1.01; p < 0.05). The co-use of alcohol was also a significant risk factor (aOR = 2.80; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of current SLT use was high among rural women in Burkina Faso, and significant concerns for users included alcohol co-use, the occurrence of dental symptoms, undernourishment, and an increase in differential blood pressure. National Public Health interventions are needed to reduce SLT use and its health-related concerns.