Patterns of smoking in Russia

Background-Tobacco is a leading cause of avoidable death in Russia but ther e is, as yet, relatively little information in the public domain on who is smoking and how this is changing. This information is important for those s eeking to develop effective policies to tackle this issue. Objective-To determine the prevalence of smoking in Russia and its associat ion with sociodemographic factors. Design-Cross-sectional survey on patterns of tobacco consumption. Setting-Data were collected using the New Russia Barometer, a multi-stage s tratified-sample survey of the population of the Russian Federation underta ken in the summer of 1996. Participants-Data were available on 1587 individuals (response rate 65.7%). Respondents differed little from the overall Russian population in terms o f age, sex, education, and voting intention. Main outcome measures-Prevalence of current and past smoking. Results-Smoking is common among males of all ages and in all areas. Of thos e aged 18-24 years, 65% smoke, rising to 73% in those aged 25-34 and then f alling steadily to reach 41% in those aged 65 and older. Among women, smoki ng is much more common among the young (27% in those aged 18-34) than among the middle-aged and elderly (5% in those aged 55 and older), and more comm on among those living in urban areas than in rural areas. Smoking is also m ore common among men and women suffering material deprivation but there is no independent association with education. Among men, but not women, church attendance is inversely associated with smoking. In both sexes, but especi ally women, heavy drinking and smoking are associated. Conclusions-Tobacco poses a major threat to the health of future generation s in Russia, especially among women. A robust policy response is required.