SMOKING IN ITALY, 1995

Aims and background: Patterns and trends in smoking habits are a major determinant of subsequent incidence and mortality for lung cancer, an d other tobacco related neoplasms on a population level. Methods and s tudy design: Smoking prevalence In Italy was analyzed using data from the 1995 National Multipurpose Survey, conducted by the National Insti tute of Statistics (ISTAT) and based on a sample of 50,585 subjects (2 4,497 men and 26,088 women), aged 15 years or over, identified in stra ta of geographic area and size of the municipality in order to be repr esentative of the general Italian population. Data on smoking were obt ained through a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Overall, 25. 3% of Italians aged 15 years or over (34.1% of males, 17.1% of females ) described themselves as current smokers, 20.5% (28.0% of males, 13.5 % of females) as ex-smokers, and 54.2% (37.9% of males, 69.4% of femal es) as never smokers. Heavy current smokers (greater than or equal to 15 cigarettes per day) were 15.6% of males and 3.9% of females. Compar ed to previous surveys, reported smoking prevalence increased, mostly in the youngest age groups (15 to 24 years) in both sexes. However, th e increase could be partly or largely attributable to the different mo dality of data collection (interview in previous surveys, self-adminis tered questionnaire in the present survey), which may have reduced und erreporting. Conclusions: The data of the 1995 National Household Surv ey confirmed previous patterns of smoking in Italy, i.e., a higher smo king prevalence in less educated, southern Italian males, and in more educated, northern Italian females. These figures reflect therefore th e importance of the social and cultural correlates of smoking. Moreove r, the stability in smoking prevalence over the last few years reflect s the absence of any organized and structured intervention on a legisl ation and public health level on the smoking issue in Italy.