Smoking cessation in China: findings from the 1996 national prevalence survey

Objectives-To describe patterns of smoking and smoking cessation in China w ithin the context of the stages of change model, using data from the 1996 n ational prevalence survey. Design-A cross sectional survey was carried out using the 145 preselected d isease surveillance points, which provide a representative sample for the e ntire country, A standardised questionnaire on smoking was interviewer admi nistered Setting-The country of China. Subjects-122 220 people aged 15-69 years. Maintenance measures-Smoking cessation patterns, as defined by smoking stat us (current or former) and stage of change (precontemplation, contemplation , and action). Results-The sample included 45 995 ever smokers of whom 4336 had quit. Abou t 72% of current smokers reported not intending to give up their smoking be haviour, and about 16% of current smokers said they intended to do so, but have not taken any action. Of all ever smokers, the percentage of former sm okers was 9.5%, and 12% of current smokers had quit at least once, but rela psed by the time of the survey. The patterns were similar in men and women with regard to the seated intent to quit. Among males, the percentage of fo rmer smokers increased with age but the percentage intending to quit was co nstant at about 15% across age strata. The most common reason for quitting was illness. Participants with a university education were more likely to h ave made an attempt to quit. Conclusions-The percentage of smokers contemplating quitting was low in Chi na in 1996. The study shows that smokers in China must be mobilised to cont emplate quitting and then to take action.