Introduction: Annually, hundred thousands of people worldwide die as a result of second
hand smoke (SHS) exposure. There is no safe exposure level to SHS yet in Bulawayo,
smokers have been observed smoking without restraint thus exposing non-smokers to SHS.
The purpose of this study was to establish the prevalence and contributing factors of SHS
exposure among adults in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted and participants were randomly selected
from residents who visited the 13 municipal revenue halls. A structured questionnaire was
used to collect data from respondents. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression
analyses were performed.
Results: Home SHS exposure prevalence was 22% and females were 2.11 times more
likely than males to be exposed at home. Prevalence of SHS exposure in public
transportation, health facilities, educational and food premises was 40.9%, 26.3%, 42,9%
and 36.8% respectively.
Conclusion: SHS exposure in Bulawayo was high and there is need to reduce SHS
exposure to non-smoking adults.