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Category: Community and Mental Health
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Background: Smoking prevalence in Jordan has shown an escalating trend for the past two decades. However, this conclusion was based on stand-alone research endeavors with varying sample characteristics and mismatched methodological approaches. Objective: To describe the temporal trajectory of current tobacco smokers’ prevalence trends in Jordan 1990 – 2019 by sex. Methods: Utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (2019), changes in population-level smoking rates from 1990 to 2019 were analyzed using joinpoint regression. Results: The average annual percentage increase for the age-standardized smoking prevalence (per 100,000 population) for both sexes over the entire period was 0.44%. The joinpoint regression identified 5 significant joinpoints and 6 trends for the time-series data representing the number of male and female smokers 1990 – 2019. Percent changes in the number of smokers and Cigarette-Equivalents per Capita were also reported. Conclusion: The prevalence of tobacco smoking consistently increased throughout the designated period for both males and females. Readjustments to the existing policies and protocols to fight the tobacco smoking epidemic in Jordan are urgently needed. Implications for Nursing: This study provides insight and perspective for nursing researchers, professionals, and policymakers to revise existing tobacco smoking control practices and interventions.             keywords: Jordan, Prevalence rate, Smoking, Tobacco use.