SynthesisBMJ open2024
Tobacco use and behaviour among South African adolescents and young adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Prevalence of Substance Use Among Adolescents in South Africa.Drug and alcohol review · 2026Pooled it
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Tobacco Use Among Adults Attending Selected Healthcare Facilities in the OR Tambo District, Rural Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Barriers to raising taxes on tobacco products in Uganda: a political economy analysis.Health policy and planning · 2026Article
- Article
- Vaping Among Malaysian Students 2022-2024: A Systematic Review of Prevalence, Awareness and Influencing Factors.The Malaysian journal of medical sciences : MJMS · 2025Review
- Changes in incidence of HPV-related cancers in South Africa (2011-21): a cross-sectional analysis of the South African National Cancer Registry.The Lancet. Global health · 2025Article
- Factors associated with cigarette smoking among learners at a high school in KwaZulu-Natal.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTobacco use, particularly the initiation of smoking during adolescence and young adulthood, represents a significant public health concern in South Africa. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive review of published literature about tobacco use and behaviour among adolescents and young adults and to determine an aggregated prevalence estimate of tobacco use within this demographic.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched from 1 January 2000 through 31 October 2023. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were cross-sectional studies conducted in South Africa and measured the prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among adolescents and young adults aged 12-24 years. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers independently extracted information for each article and saved it into an Excel spreadsheet. Risk of bias analysis was conducted using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for non-randomised studies. The methodology quality of each selected study was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. The heterogeneity of prevalence estimates was assessed using I
resultsOut of 73 articles identified, 12 articles were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of current tobacco use among South African adolescents and young adults was estimated to be 22%. The pooled prevalence of tobacco use among school dropouts, university students and secondary school learners was 51%, 20% and 16%, respectively. Stratifying using gender, boys (26%) were two times more likely to use tobacco than girls (13%).
conclusionThe elevated occurrence of tobacco usage among South African adolescents and young adults is a relevant public health concern. There is a need for more population-based prevalence studies at a national level to estimate the burden of tobacco use in South Africa. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42023428369.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.