Associations Between Characteristics Of Large National Regions And Individual Smoking: A Scoping Review

Objective — to systematize scientific knowledge on the effect of living conditions in large national regions on tobacco consumption at the individual level. Material and Methods — The goals and methodology of the systematic review were previously specified and recorded in the protocol PROSPERO CRD42021234874. We conducted a search for publications on the topic of our study in PubMed, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, CrossRef and eLibrary databases through December 31, 2021. Article search, selection and analysis were carried out by two trained researchers, with the participation of a third researcher whenever necessary. After removing duplicates, ineligible articles, and full-text screening, 204 publications were included in this review from the initial pool of 9,717 publications. Results — Published articles on the topic under consideration varied significantly in terms of the sample size, study design, regional characteristics, and considered outcomes (smoking). The most convincing were the dependences of individual tobacco consumption on the legislative characteristics and tobacco environment in the regions. Regional characteristics unrelated to tobacco use were not often analyzed in reviewed studies. As shown in our review, to date, they did not confirm any impact whatsoever. Conclusion — We examined the features of research on the topic under consideration and highlighted the best evidence-based predictors of the regional environment in relation to smoking. We also identified poorly studied areas of research requiring further attention.