title: [Occasional smoking--an increasing problem].
abstract: Little attention is given to occasional smoking compared with daily smoking. However, there are indications that there is a continuous increase in occasional smoking throughout the western world. In Norway, 33% of smokers do not smoke daily. Little is known about these smokers' background, how often they smoke, and how many cigarettes they consume when they do smoke. Studies indicate that occasional smokers seem to differ from regular smokers in their socio-demographic characteristics. In this article we show that a proportion of the occasional smokers smoke more than previously assumed. Therefore this smoking pattern may have greater implications for health than previously assumed and can no longer be ignored.
authors.affiliation: Divisjon for epidemiologi, Nasjonalt folkehelseinstitutt, Postboks 4404 Nydalen, 0403 Oslo. ragnhild.hovengen@fhi.no
authors.forename: Ragnhild
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hovengen
authors.forename: Rannveig
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nordhagen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors