Tobacco use by sexual and gender minorities: findings from a Brazilian national survey

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to identify the prevalence of use of tobacco products by sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Brazil, the users’ profile and associations between tobacco use and social and behavioural variables. METHODOLOGY: The study used data from a representative nationwide household survey of the Brazilian population aged 12–65 years—the first one to address the issue of sexual orientation/gender identity. The study sample consisted of 15 801 individuals. Social and behavioural characteristics and the use of tobacco products were compared according to sexual orientation/gender identity. A multivariate logistic model was constructed to assess the association between tobacco use and sexual orientation/gender identity, as well as models stratified by SGM and non-SGM. RESULTS: Prevalence of any tobacco product use was 44.7% among SGM and 17.0% among non-SGM. Water pipe use was ~8 times higher for SGM than for non-SGM (13.5% vs 1.6%). SGM tobacco users were younger and had more schooling than non-SGM tobacco users. After adjusting for social and behavioural variables, the multivariate model showed that SGM were 150% more likely to use tobacco products than non-SGM (adjusted OR 2.52; 95% CI 1.61 to 3.95). In the model for SGM, schooling, alcohol consumption, illicit drug consumption, violence and anxiety/depression were significantly associated with tobacco use. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of tobacco use among SGM was higher than among non-SGM, and the profile of tobacco users differed between them. It is urgent to monitor health issues in SGM in Brazil and to adopt tobacco control strategies for this group.