Tobacco vendors’ perceptions and compliance with tobacco control laws in Nigeria

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Authors

Fagbule, Omotayo F.
Egbe, Catherine
Ayo-Yusuf, Olalekan Abdulwahab

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

MDPI

Abstract

Tobacco vendors are critical stakeholders in the tobacco supply chain. This study examined their perception, compliance, and potential economic impact of Nigeria’s tobacco control laws related to the retail setting. This was a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews of 24 purposively selected tobacco vendors. The face-to-face interviews were aided by a semi-structured interview guide, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis with NVivo version 12. Five themes emerged, encompassing reasons for selling tobacco, awareness, perception, compliance with tobacco sales laws, the potential economic impact of the laws, and law enforcement activities. Vendors commenced tobacco sales due to consumers’ demand, profit motives, and advice from close family relatives. They were unaware and non-compliant with most of the retail-related laws. Most participants had positive perceptions about the ban on sales to and by minors, were indifferent about the ban on Tobacco Advertising Promotion and Sponsorships (TAPS) and product display, and had negative perceptions about the ban on sales of single sticks. Most vendors stated quitting tobacco sales would not have a serious economic impact on their business. In conclusion, the vendors demonstrated limited awareness and non-compliance with various retail-oriented tobacco control laws in Nigeria. Addressing these gaps requires targeted educational campaigns and effective law enforcement strategies to enhance vendors’ compliance.

Description

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT: The data presented in this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS: FIGURE S1: Question guide; TABLE S1: Codebook - tobacco vendors’ compliance with the laws.

Keywords

Retailers, Cigarette sellers, Tobacco control legislation, Tobacco control policies, WHO FCTC, Tobacco vendors, Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), SDG-12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG-12:Responsible consumption and production
SDG-16:Peace,justice and strong institutions

Citation

Fagbule, O.F.; Egbe, C.O.; Ayo-Yusuf, O.A. Tobacco Vendors’ Perceptions and Compliance with Tobacco Control Laws in Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2023, 20, 7054. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20227054.