Practice and attitude of cigarette smoking: a community-based study.
BACKGROUND
In Saudi Arabia many studies have addressed cigarette smoking from various perspectives. Most of these studies, however, were conducted among males and confined to Riyadh, the capital city. Such limitations have enhanced the need for community-based epidemiological studies that include both genders and various age groups and socio-demographic features, as well as different regions.


OBJECTIVE
This cross-sectional study aims to assess the prevalence of cigarette smoking and to discuss the association between cigarette smoking habits and socio-demographic factors among community members of the Jazan area in southwest Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
A pre-coded questionnaire was designed and tested for data consistency. A well-trained health team was assigned to gather the data from the 30 primary healthcare centers distributed across eight provinces. The response rate was 92.8% (4,326 respondents ≥13 years old). The associations among the subjects' socio-demographic characteristics were examined by the chi-square test. A multiple logistic regression and odds ratios were calculated as well.


RESULTS
A total of 1,017 (23.5%), 1,042 (24.1%), and 3,284 (75.9%) respondents were, respectively, current smokers (TCS), ever-smokers (TES), and non-smokers (TNS). Though current smokers seem to be more prevalent in urban populations (13.8%) than in rural populations (9.7%), the association of urbanization with a current smoking habit is insignificant.


CONCLUSIONS
Having fun, relieving stress, and the influence of parents, particularly of mothers, were the main motives that encouraged participants' cigarette-smoking habits. This situation was worsened by the fact that accessing cigarettes was either very easy or easy for over 90% of the respondents.
Unit of Population Health, Medical Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Bahaa-eldin E
BE
Abdel Rahim
Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mohamed Salih
MS
Mahfouz
Unit of Population Health, Medical Research Center, Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Umar
U
Yagoub
Department of Primary Healthcare of Jazan, Ministry of Health, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Yahya M H
YM
Solan
Substance Abuse Research Center (SARC), Jazan University, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Rashad Mohammed
RM
Alsanosy
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population