Summary

The fight against tobacco remains a public health priority today, with nearly 12 million daily smokers across France in 2021.

As part of its mandate, Santé publique France estimates and monitors smoking prevalence, which enables the adjustment and steering of public policies implemented in the fight against tobacco use. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death as well as the leading risk factor for cancer [1]. However, following an unprecedented decline in smoking between 2016 and 2019, prevalence has stabilized in mainland France, with regional variations [2].

In Réunion, data from the 2021 Santé publique France barometer presented in this epidemiological report and intended for regional stakeholders provide key regional indicators for planning and evaluating local tobacco prevention policies.

Daily smoking:

• 21% of people aged 18–75 reported smoking daily.

• The prevalence of smoking was significantly lower (p<0.05) than in 2014, dropping from 26% to 21% [3]. In 2021, the prevalence of daily smoking was higher among men (26%) than among women (16%). The downward trend compared to 2014 was significant for both men and women (p<0.05), with decreases of 6 percentage points and 4 percentage points, respectively.

• In 2021, 27% of those aged 18–30 reported smoking daily. This proportion decreased with age. Between 2014 and 2021, only the 46–60 age group experienced a significant decrease (from 25% to 17% with p<0.05) (Table 2). Although not statistically significant, a downward trend was also observed among those aged 18–30 and 31–45, in contrast to those aged 61–75, for whom prevalence was increasing (from 9% to 14%).

• Finally, the prevalence of daily smoking remained higher among low-income individuals (25%) than among high-income individuals (16%). This prevalence had decreased significantly between 2014 and 2021 for high-income individuals (from 23% to 16%) and low-income individuals (from 32% to 25%).

Desire to quit and attempts to quit:

• The desire to quit smoking was reported more frequently by men (72%) than by women (65%), whereas attempts to quit within the past year were more common among women (40%) than men (37%).

Vaping:

• Men reported having tried vaping more often (34%) than women (22%). This rate was higher among those aged 18–30 (47%) and 31–45 (37%).

• Only 1.7% of those aged 18–75 reported daily vaping. This rate was 3.6% for those aged 31–45.