Tabaquismo en 12 ciudades chilenas

Abstract

Smoking habits were studied in twelve chilean cities during 1985. A total of 2.700 adults were questioned using a ramdom survey in each city. The total prevalence of smokers, matched for age and sex, was found to be 31%, ranging from 41.8% in Viña del Mar and 38% in Valparaíso, to 18,9% in Rancagua and 16.7% in Coronel. In all the twelve cities studies, the prevalence in men tended to be twice that observed in women. Chileans star to smoke during adolescence and smoking reaches a peak in the age range of 20-40 years (50% in men and 30% in women). There- after, the percentage of smokers declines as the age increases. Smoking is directly related to family monthly income and to the level of education, but no correlation with anxiety or personal problems was noted. In discussing the significance of these results, we propose some fundamental priorities for a programme to control smoking in Chile.