This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Uganda statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Ugandan statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Ugandan-specific metadata information.
| Goal |
Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages |
|---|---|
| Target |
Target 3.a: Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate |
| Indicator |
Indicator 3.a.1: Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older |
| Metadata update |
November 2021 |
| Related indicators |
3.4.1 Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease |
| Data reporter |
Uganda Bureau of Statistics |
| Organisation |
Uganda Bureau of Statistics |
| Contact person(s) |
Johnstone Galande |
| Contact organisation unit |
Department of Demography and Social Statistics |
| Contact person function |
Senior Demographer |
| Contact phone |
+256 782 789787 |
| Contact mail |
P.O Box 7186, Kampala |
| Contact email | |
| Definition and concepts |
Definition: The indicator is defined as the percentage of the population aged 15 years and above who currently use any tobacco product (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco) on a daily or non-daily basis. Concepts: Data includes women and men who use smokeless tobacco daily or occasionally (less than daily). It Includes snuff by mouth, snuff by nose, and chewing tobacco 2 Includes all types of smokeless tobacco shown in this table along with cigarettes, pipes, cigars, cheroots, cigarillos, and water pipes/shisha. |
| Unit of measure |
Proportion |
| Classifications |
None |
| Data sources |
The Uganda Demography and Health Survey (UDHS) |
| Data collection method |
Sample Design: The sample design for the 2016 UDHS used the sampling frame from the Uganda National Population and Housing Census (NPHC 2014).The census frame is a complete list of all census Enumeration Areas (EAs) created for the 2014 NPHC. In Uganda, an EA is a geographic area that covers an average of about 130 households. At the time of the NPHC, Uganda was divided administratively into 112 districts, which were grouped for this survey into 15 regions. The sample for the 2016 UDHS was designed to provide estimates of key indicators for the country as a whole, for urban and rural areas separately, and for each of the 15 sub regions. Estimates are also presented for three special areas: the Lake Victoria islands, the mountainous districts, and greater Kampala. The 2016 UDHS sample was stratified and selected in two stages. In the first stage, 697 EAs were selected from the 2014 NPHC, 162 EAs in urban areas and 535 in rural areas. Households constituted the second stage of sampling. A listing of households was compiled in each of the 696 accessible selected EAs from April to October 2016. To minimize the task of household listing, each large EA (that is to say more than 300 households) selected for the 2016 UDHS was segmented. Only one segment was selected for the survey with probability proportional to segment size, and the household listing was conducted only in the selected segment. Out of the 20,880 selected households (30 households per EA), 18,506 women aged 15-49 were successfully interviewed. All women age 15-49 who were either permanent residents of the selected households or visitors who stayed in the household the night before the survey were eligible to be interviewed. In one-third of the sampled households, all men age 15-54, including both usual residents and visitors who stayed in the household the night before the interview, were eligible for individual interviews. Recruitment and Training: UBOS recruited and trained field staff to serve as supervisors, CAPI managers, interviewers, health technicians, and reserve interviewers for the main fieldwork. Health technicians were trained separately from interviewers. A two-day f ield practice was organized to provide trainees with additional hands-on practice before the actual fieldwork. Prior to the main field work, a pre-test was conducted and best practices were adopted. Questionnaires: Four questionnaires were used for the 2016 UDHS: The Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, the Man’s Questionnaire, and the Biomarker Questionnaire. The questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s model questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Uganda. Input was solicited from all stakeholders such as; Government Ministries and Agencies, Non-governmental Organizations, and Development partners. After the finalization of the questionnaires in English, they were then translated into eight major local languages. The Household, Woman’s, and Man’s Questionnaires were programmed into a computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) application for data collection purposes. Data collection: Data collection was conducted by 21 field teams, each consisting of one team leader, one field data Manager, three female interviewers, one male interviewer, one health technician, and a driver. The health technicians were responsible for anthropometric measurements, blood sample collection for Hemoglobin and malaria testing, and DBS specimen collection for vitamin A testing. The, interviewers used tablets to record all questionnaire responses during the interviews. The tablets were equipped with Bluetooth technology to enable remote electronic transfer of files, such as assignments from the team supervisor to the interviewers, individual questionnaires among survey team members, and completed questionnaires from interviewers to team supervisors. The field supervisors transferred data to the central data processing office via Internet File Streaming System (IFSS). Senior staff from the Makerere University School of Public Health, the Ministry of Health, and UBOS and a survey technical specialist from the DHS Program coordinated and supervised fieldwork activities. Data collection took place over a 6-month period from June 2016 through December 2016. |
| Data collection calendar |
Every Five 5 years |
| Data release calendar |
2022 |
| Data providers |
Uganda Bureau of Statistics |
| Data compilers |
Uganda Bureau of Statistics, ICF |
| Institutional mandate |
The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Act, 1998 provides for the development and maintenance of a National Statistical System (NSS) to ensure collection, analysis and publication of integrated, relevant, reliable and timely statistical information. It established the Bureau as the coordinating, monitoring and supervisory body for the National Statistical System. |
| Rationale |
Tobacco use is a major contributor to illness and death from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). There is no proven safe level of tobacco use or of second-hand smoke exposure. All daily and non-daily users of tobacco are at risk of a variety of poor health outcomes across the life-course, including None Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Reducing the prevalence of current tobacco use will make a large contribution to reducing premature mortality from NCDs (Target 3.4). Routine and regular monitoring of this indicator is necessary to enable accurate monitoring and evaluation of the impact of implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), or tobacco control policies in the countries that are not yet Parties to the WHO FCTC, over time. |
| Comment and limitations |
Data are not age-standardized and are available for women and men age 15-49 only |
| Method of computation |
A Percentage of women and men age 15-49 who smoke various tobacco products. 1) Cigarettes, 2) Other types of tobacco, 3) Any type of tobacco |
| Validation |
A wide consultative process is undertaken to compile, assess and validate data on the indicator. The consultation process solicited feedback directly from other Government Agencies responsible for official statistics, on the compilation of the indicators, including the data sources used, and the application of internationally agreed definitions, classification and methodologies to the data from that source. The results of this Indicator consultation are reviewed by Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and UNICEF. |
| Methods and guidance available to countries for the compilation of the data at the national level |
Non |
| Quality management |
1. The survey implementation is overseen by a Technical Working Group which is constituted using a multi sectorial approach. 2. The survey report is reviewed by an experienced team at Management level who are in most cases Directors or Heads of departments and key stakeholders from Makerere School of Public Health, Molecular Laboratory of Makerere University School of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health and later reviewed by consultants. |
| Quality assurance |
The UDHS goes through several stages before production and sharing of the final findings. During the Survey implementation. i. Consultative user needs assessment meetings are held with all key stakeholders. ii. ICF International provided consultants to oversee the UDHS iii. The survey and sampling design generated using scientific methods as recommended by the Census and Survey Rules and Regulations. iv. The questionnaire development for different categories of the Target respondents were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Uganda. (Man’s Questionnaire, Woman’s questionnaire, Biomarker questionnaire and Field worker questionnaire. This follows a multi-stakeholder approach and pretesting helps to establish the relevancy and adequacy of the questions to be used. v. Senior Supervision is conducted during data collection to ensure that quality data is collected. vi. Field Data editing, Secondary data cleaning and coding is undertaken before analysis and report writing. |
| Quality assessment |
Before dissemination, the report is reviewed and quality assured by a professional team of the National Statistical System. Quality Control is addressed at all levels during Survey implementation |
| Data availability and disaggregation |
Data Availability: Data available Every 5 years Time Series: 2011,2016. Disaggregation: Type of tobacco, Age , sex, smoking frequency, residence, region, education level, wealth quintile and special areas |
| Comparability/deviation from international standards |
Non |
| References and Documentation |
Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2016 [FR333] (ubos.org) https://dhsprogram.com |
| Metadata last updated | Jan 27, 2026 |