Longitudinal monitoring of changes in individual smoking habit over 13-year period among adults.
The purpose of the longitudinal monitoring of smoking habits among adults was to define demographic and social characteristics which may contribute to the persistence of smoking and to evaluate the effectiveness of the preventive programs undertaken by the mass media. The data has been collected during the follow-up epidemiological study on chronic nonspecific chest diseases in Cracow, Poland. In total the material covered a sample of 2965 persons who were interviewed three times over 1968-81 period. In the analysis the prevalence rates, incidence and cessation rates have been taken into consideration. The results obtained in the study confirm the decline in the prevalence of smoking habit among men but among females increased substantially in the younger birth cohorts. Incidence rate of smoking in females was higher than in men but cessation rates were very similar. The striking was the fact that the prevalence of smokers in the youngest age group in university graduates was about three times higher in women than in men. The results call for more knowledge about the psychosocial factors that may contribute to the initiation of smoking and more effective strategies applied to deter the onset of smoking.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland; D012907:Smoking; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors