TOBACCO SMOKING - A SURVEY INA COMMUNITY WITH EXCESS LUNG-CANCER

Duval County, Florida (Jacksonville) has had one of the highest lung c ancer mortality rates among large US cities in recent decades. This su rvey was conducted to determine whether this might be due in part to h igher prevalence or amount of smoking. Telephone interviews using a ra ndom digit dialing technique were conducted with 3,105 residents. Ques tions on cigarette smoking were taken from national surveys, and Jacks onville rates were compared with US rates. The percentage of persons i n Jacksonville who had ever smoked was similar to the national percent age. Among whites, however, the prevalence of current smokers was slig htly higher, and of heavy smokers was significantly higher, than natio nal rates for whites; while among blacks, smoking prevalence and amoun t were below national rates for blacks. Up to one third of the excess lung cancer mortality rates in male and female whites in Jacksonville might be accounted for by the heavier amounts smoked by residents.