The dynamics of cigarette smoking during military service in Syria.
METHODS
Understanding the dynamics of smoking in different populations is important to be able to tackle this problem rationally.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey in a military school near Aleppo. Three groups of recruits were studied (total number of participants 596). The mean age of new draftees (group I) was 19.8 +/- 0.02 years, that of draftees after 6 months of service (group II) was 19.7 +/- 0.02 years, and that of draftees after 2 years of service (group III) was 21 +/- 0.02 years.


RESULTS
Current and daily smoking was observed among respectively 46.1% and 34.1% of participants. Daily smokers smoked 17.8 +/- 0.7 cigarettes per day. Within a 2-year interval, current smoking increased from 43.2% to 55.1% (P = 0.01), and daily consumption from 15 to 23.8 cigarettes/day (P < 0.001). Smoking among draftee groups I and II was compared with age-matched male university students (314 first year students aged 19.1 +/- 0.04 years and 262 third year students aged 21.3 +/- 0.05 years). Current smoking among recruits was higher at entry and after 2 years than that of age-matched civilians (P < 0.001), but the 2-year increase was not (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Although military service in Syria is a scene of intensive smoking dynamics, it cannot be implicated in creating smokers.
Maziak
W
W
Aleppo School of Medicine, Aleppo, Syria. maziak@uni-muenster.de
Mzayek
F
F
Devereaux
A V
AV
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013593:Syria / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors