PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF SMOKING IN DELHI - CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective-To determine the prevalence and predictors of smoking in urb an India. Design-Cross sectional. Setting-Delhi, urban India, 1985-6. Subjects-Random sample of 13 558 men and women aged 25-64 years. Main outcome measure-Smoking prevalence; subjects who were currently smokin g and who had smoked. greater than or equal to 100 cigarettes or beedi s or chuttas in their lifetime were defined as smokers. Results-45% (9 5% confidence interval 43.8 to 46.2) of men and 7% (6.4 to 7.6) of wom en were smokers. Education was the strongest predictor of smoking, and men with no education were 1.8 (1.5 to 2.0) times more likely to be s mokers than those with college education, and women with no education were 3.7 (2.9 to 4.8) times more likely, Among smokers, 52.6% of men a nd 4.9% of women smoked only cigarettes white the others also smoked b eedi or chutta. Compared with cigarette smokers, people smoking beedi or chutta were more likely to be older and married; have lower educati on, manual occupations, incomes, and body mass index; and not drink al cohol or take part in leisure exercise. Conclusion-There are two subpo pulations of smokers in urban India, and the prevention strategy requi red for each may be different, The educated, white collar cigarette sm oker in India might respond to measures that make nonsmoking fashionab le, while the less educated, low income people who smoke beedi or chut ta may need strategies aimed at socioeconomic improvement.