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Introduction Non-cigarette tobacco (NCT) represents a form of tobacco use with a misperceived significance in chronic disease events. Whether NCT use is sufficient to promote stroke events, especially among Africans, is yet to be understood. This study assessed the relationship between NCT use and stroke among indigenous Africans. Methods A total of 7617 respondents (NCT users: 41 vs. non-NCT: 7576) from the Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) study were included in the current analysis. NCT use was defined as self-reported use of smoked (cigars or piper) or smokeless (snuff or chewed) tobacco in the past year preceding stroke events. Stroke was defined based on clinical presentation and confirmed with a cranial computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the relationship of NCT with stroke at a two-sided p <.05. Results Out of the 41 (0.54%) who reported NCT use, 27 (65.9%) reported using smokeless NCT. NCT users were older than non-NCT users (62.8 ± 15.7 vs. 57.7 ± 14.8 years). Overall, NCT use was associated with first-ever stroke (OR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.02, 4.23) in the entire sample. Notably, smokeless NCT use was independently associated with higher odds of stroke (OR: 2.74; 95% CI: 1.15, 6.54), but smoked NCT use (OR: 0.16; 95% CI: 0.02, 1.63) presented a statistically insignificant association after adjusting for hypertension and other covariates. Conclusions NCT use was associated with higher odds of stroke, and public health interventions targeting NCT use might be promising in reducing the burden of stroke among indigenous Africans. Implications A detailed understanding of the relationship between NCT use and stroke will likely inform well-articulated policy guidance and evidence-based recommendations for public health prevention and management of stroke on the African continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Frequent fruit and vegetable consumption is considered a promising dietary behaviour that protects health. However, most existing studies about the factors associated with this phenomenon among Africans are based on single-country reports, apart from one meta-regression combining smaller studies. This study harmonized large datasets and assessed factors associated with the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption in this population. Methods Individual-level data on sociodemographics, lifestyle and diet from 20 443 participants across five African countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria), from the Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) and Africa Wits-INDEPTH partnership for Genomic Research (AWI-Gen) studies, were harmonized. Total frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption (in portions/week) was classified as 'low' (≤6), 'moderate' (7–14) and 'high' (≥15). Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of factors associated with the total frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption (using 'low' consumption as the reference) were estimated using multinomial regression models. Results Mean age of participants was 54.3 ± 11.8 years, 10 641 (52.1%) were female, and the median (interquartile range) frequency of total fruit and vegetable consumption was 10.0 (4.0, 21.0) portions/week. Participants with a family history of cardiovascular disease [moderate (aOR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85, 1.00) and high (aOR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.78, 0.92)], current smokers [moderate (aOR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74, 0.94) and high (aOR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69, 0.88)], current alcohol users [moderate (aOR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85, 1.00) and high (aOR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.76, 0.89)] and physically inactive participants [moderate (aOR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75, 0.96) and high (aOR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70, 0.90)] were less likely to consume fruits and vegetables frequently. Conclusion Africans with lifestyle risk factors for cardiovascular disease were less likely to consume fruit and vegetables frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and stroke in Nigeria and Ghana.The study is a multicentre, case–control study. Cases included consenting adults 18 years of age and older with acute stroke and controls were age-and -gender -matched stroke –free adults. Alcohol consumption was self-reported. The participants were classified into three alcohol-drinking status, which included abstainers, former drinkers, and current drinkers. The current drinkers were further classified into different alcohol drinking levels, including infrequent, light, moderate, heavy, and binge drinkers. Conditional logistic regression was used to determine associations between the drinking status and stroke, and the association between the different levels of current alcohol consumption and stroke. Five models were evaluated. Model 1 was unadjusted. Model 2 was adjusted for demographic characteristics. Model 3 included Model 2, lifestyle and psychosocial characteristics. Model 4 included Model 3 and dietary characteristics. Model 5 included Model 4 and metabolic characteristics.A total of 7368 participants took part in the study. Half were stroke participants, and half were control participants. On the associations between drinking status and stroke, respectively, former drinkers showed no significant association with stroke. However, a significant association was observed between current drinkers and stroke in Models 1 and 2, with an odds ratio of 1.19 (95% CI: 1.04–1.38; p < 0.05) and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01–1.36; p < 0.05), respectively. Regarding the various levels of current alcohol drinking and their association with stroke, no significant association was observed between light drinking and stroke in Model 5. In contrast, moderate drinkers, binge drinkers, and heavy drinkers showed a persistent and significant association with stroke respectively.There is a significant association between stroke and current alcohol consumption, especially among heavy, binge, and moderate drinkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]