The Social and Economic Correlates of Tobacco Consumption in Developing Countries Compared to Developed Countries: Evidence from Burkina Faso and Canada

This paper examines the socio-demographic and economic factors affecting tobacco consumption in a developing country like Burkina Faso compared to a developed country like Canada. Using nationally representative data from the 2016 round of Burkina Faso’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2015-2016, we estimated multivariate fixed effects models to identify the social and economic factors associated with tobacco consumption in these countries. We find evidence that age has an inverted U-shaped positive effect on cigarettes consumption in both countries with a peak at 24-35 years old in Burkina Faso and a peak at 40-54 years old in Canada. Second, being single increases the consumption of cigarettes while education and employment reduce cigarettes consumption in both countries. The gender gap in tobacco consumption between men and women is larger in Burkina Faso (5.021 cigarettes) compared to Canada (1.45 cigarettes). Third, while income have a negative impact on cigarettes consumption in Canada, it displays a U-shape effect in Burkina Faso. Hence, the social and economic context should be considered by the international organization while addressing the issue of smoking in developed and developing countries.