A THAI MONK - AN AGENT FOR SMOKING REDUCTION IN A RURAL-POPULATION

Monks in a rural community in northern Thailand were observed to condu ct anti-smoking activities. To evaluate the effects of the monks' effo rts on change of people's smoking behaviour and attitudes, we conducte d a survey of adults greater-than-or-equal-to 15 years of age in this village (intervention village sample) and a randomly selected village (control village sample) in the same subdistrict. Between March and Ap ril 1991, we interviewed 372 individuals in the intervention village a nd 664 in the control village. The two villages were of similar socioe conomic status. The proportion of ever smokers who had tried to quit w as greater in the intervention sample (79.6%) than in the control samp le (72.0%) (P = 0.048). The proportion of former smokers who had stopp ed smoking for greater-than-or-equal-to 1 year was significantly great er in the intervention sample (25.5% of ever smokers) than in the cont rol sample 116.6%) (P = 0.011). Of current smokers in the intervention village, 45.8% reported smoking less tobacco during the year precedin g the survey than in the previous 1-year period compared with 35.2% in the control village (P = 0.034). Many former smokers (80.3%) in the i ntervention village cited the suggestion of a monk as one important re ason for quitting compared with 25.6% in the control village (P = 0.00 0). The proportion of individuals who were well aware of the harmful e ffects of smoking on health was greater in the intervention village th an in the control village. Religious leaders may be helpful in a commu nity-based smoking prevention programme.