Perceptions of Adult Male Smokers in Lagos Nigeria and Their Readiness to Quit Smoking.

Smoking continues to be a significant issue of public health in the whole world, with low- and middle-income countries showing a disproportionate number of adult male users. In Nigeria, the prevalence of smoking is high in Lagos State, among the adult men, but very little is known about their perception towards smoking and willingness to quit. This paper examines the beliefs, attitudes, and cessation factors and beliefs on smoking behavior among adult male smokers in Lagos. A cross-sectional survey involving 200 adult males who smoke was quantitative, and it was carried out with the use of a structured questionnaire in Google Forms that was shared on WhatsApp and Facebook. The information gathered was in terms of socio-demographics, perceptions towards health risks, cultural and social factors and quitting smoking readiness. The analysis showed that even though the majority of the respondents have knowledge about the health risks of smoking, the fact of smoking is socially accepted, and commonly linked to masculinity, stress management, and peer acceptance. Personal health concerns, family and social support, cessation programs availability, as well as economic factors contribute to readiness to quit, whereas stress, previous unsuccessful efforts, and peer pressure are barriers. The results indicate a considerable difference between the level of knowledge regarding the health risks and the real quitting behavior, with the accent made on the role of cultural, social, and psychological factors. The research finds that personalized, situational-based interventions based on inaccurate beliefs, social norms, and psychological issues and barriers are necessary to enhance the rates of cessation. The findings can be used by policymakers, health practitioners in the community, and health practitioners to implement policies that will reduce the prevalence of smoking and its related health costs in adult male smokers in Lagos, Nigeria.

Adult male smokers, perceptions, readiness to quit, Lagos

1. Awopeju, O., Erhabor, G., Awosusi, B., et al. (2013) 'Smoking among Nigerian Health Students', Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 3(3), 355-360. doi: 10.4103/2141-9248.117944. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Bandason, T. and Rusakaniko, S. (2010) ‘Prevalence and associated factors of smoking among secondary school students in Harare Zimbabwe’, Tobacco Induced Diseases, 8(1), pp. 12–12. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/1617-9625-8-12. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bardach, A., Casarini, A., Rodriguez Cairoli, F., et al. (2022) 'Cigarette Taxation Benefits in Nigeria', PLOS ONE, 17(3), e0264757. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264757. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Bhuiyan, J. et al. (2017) ‘Qualitative evaluation of perceptions of smoking cessation among clients at an alcohol and other drug treatment program’, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 13(6), pp. 1082–1089. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2016.10.005. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Bryman, A. 2012. Social Research Methods. Fourth edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Brunette, M. F., Ferron, J. C., Aschbrenner, K. A., et al. (2019) 'Smoking Cessation in Young Adults with Mental Illness', Addictive Behaviors, 89, 248-255. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.09.028. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Egbe, C. O., Petersen, I., Meyer-Weitz, A., & Oppong Asante, K. (2014) 'Socio-cultural Smoking Risks for Nigerian Youth', BMC Public Health, 14, 1204. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1204. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Hennink, M., Hutter, I. and Bailey, A. (2020) Qualitative research methods. Sage Publications. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Holloway, I. and Galvin, K. (2016). Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare. 4th ed. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Inc. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Lawless, M.H. et al. (2015) ‘Perceived stress and smoking-related behaviors and symptomatology in male and female smokers’, Addictive behaviors, 51, pp. 80–83. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.07.011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Masiero, M., Lucchiari, C., & Pravettoni, G. (2015) 'Optimistic Bias in Smokers', International Journal of High Risk Behaviors & Addiction, 4(1), e20939. doi: 10.5812/ijhrba.20939. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Nagawa, C. S., Wang, B., Davis, M., et al. (2022) 'Family and Peer Influence on Smoking Cessation', BMC Public Health, 22, 1566. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13979-z [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Nargis, N., Yong, H. H., Driezen, P., et al. (2019) 'Socioeconomic Smoking Cessation Trends', PLOS ONE, 14(9), e0220223. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220223. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Obieche, O., Lee, M., & Salehi, N. (2021) 'Socio-ecological Smoking Cessation Attitudes', Addictive Behaviors, 122, 107040. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107040. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Olumide, A. O., Shmueli, A., Adebayo, E. S., & Omotade, O. O. (2022) 'Economic Costs of Adolescent Smoking in Nigeria', Zeitschrift für Gesundheitswissenschaften, 30(7), 1701-1712. doi: 10.1007/s10389-021-01644-5. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Onwuegbuzie, A. and Collins, K. (2007). ‘A typology of mixed methods sampling designs in social science research’. The Qualitative Report, 12(2), pp.281–316. doi:https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2007.1638. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Osibogun, O. et al. (2020) ‘Knowledge and risk perception of e-cigarettes and hookah amongst youths in Lagos State, Nigeria: An exploratory study’, The Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, 27(4), pp. 384–390. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4103/npmj.npmj_261_20. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Panchal, K., & Tewari, P. (2025) 'Smoking and Well-being in Young Adults', International Journal of Applied Research, 11(3), 311-319. doi: 10.22271/allresearch.2025.v11.i3e.12435. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Saunders, B., Kitzinger, J., & Kitzinger, C. (2015) 'Anonymizing Interview Data: Challenges and Solutions', Qualitative Research, 15(5), 616-632. doi: 10.1177/1468794114550439. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Sim, J. et al. (2018) ‘Can sample size in qualitative research be determined a priori?’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21(5), pp. 619–634. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2018.1454643 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Ünübol, H., & Hızlı Sayar, G. (2019) 'Psychological Smoking Factors in Turkey', Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 15, 1971-1982. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S204167. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Vu, G. V., Ngo, C. T., Phan, P. T., et al. (2020) 'Secondhand Smoke Awareness in Vietnamese Pregnant Women', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3744. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17103744. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Widome, R., Joseph, A. M., Hammett, P., et al. (2015) 'Smoking and Financial Stress in Low-Income Smokers', Preventive Medicine Reports, 2, 911-915. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.10.011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. World Health Organization (2022). Tobacco. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Yakubu, Y., Mashat, M. D., Obadiah, A. A., et al. (2025) 'Economic Hardship and Mental Health', BMC Psychology, 13(1), 1215. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03525-y. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Tribal Child Nutrition and Health in District of Sundargarh: A Public Health Review of ICDS Intervention
• Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Towards Prostate Cancer Screening Amongst Men Aged 40-60 Years in The Buea Health District: A Cross-Sectional Study
• Compliance with JCI Protocols: A Focus on Employee Safety
• Influence and Involvement of Teachers in Menstrual Hygiene Management of Female Secondary School Students in Kogi State, Nigeria
• A Critical Evaluation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Bihar