Rabat – Despite the “Smoking Kills” mandatory label on cigarettes in Morocco, smoking remains a stubbornly persistent health hazard, especially among Moroccan senior citizens.
Shocking new data show that Morocco’s senior population holds the largest number of smokers across the spectrum, making up 19% of the national tally, according to market research from Sunergia, a data provider.
Breaking down smoking by age categories, the research reveals that individuals aged 65 and older comprise the majority of the smoking population at 19%, followed by the 45-54-year-old age category at 13%.
Morocco’s younger populations appear to be the least affected by the country’s smoking epidemic, as the 18 to 24 age group makes up only 7% of the smoking population.
The results further indicate that 22% of Moroccan men smoke on a regular basis, against 1% of the country’s female population.
Noting the overall smoking rate in Morocco, the research shows that smoking addiction affects 11% of the country’s population and is slightly higher in rural areas, at 13% of the population, compared to the 10% of the urban population who smoke.
86% of Morocco’s smokers said they smoke only standard tobacco-based cigarettes, 9% said they also smoke cannabis, 3% said they smoke e-cigarettes and 1% shisha.
While smoking appears less popular among women in Morocco, 27% of women respondents said that they smoke shisha, the highest rate within the social sub-categories.
For Morocco’s middle-aged population (45 to 54-year-olds), cannabis smoking occurs at a higher rate, comprising 9% of all the consumed substances.
Smokers within the elderly population predominantly smoke tobacco-based cigarettes, the report specifies.
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