COVID-19 and a temporary ban on tobacco sales in South Africa: impact on smoking cessation

Conclusions Cigarette smoking in SA dropped during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, but the estimates were inconsistent, probably because of survey design. There was evidence that the lockdown achieved the fastest rate of decline in smoking prevalence in the country’s history. The true extent of the fall though is uncertain. Prevalence studies post lockdown, using probability sampling, may more accurately show how many people quit smoking.
Source: Tobacco Control - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: COVID-19 Brief report Source Type: research