Prevalence of cigarette smoking in a rural area of West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

[Objective — To determine the prevalence of smoking and its distribution by demographic characteristics among adults in West Java, Indonesia. Design — Questions on cigarette smoking status and demographic characteristics were included as part of a household census survey carried out in six villages in West Java. The survey was carried out between July and September 1992. Subjects — 13863 persons aged 25 to 74 years: 6897 men and 6966 women. Results — The prevalence of smoking was 44% overall. Smoking status varied substantially by gender, with 84% of males and 5% of females classified as current smokers. Among males, smoking prevalence was lower among those with more years of education and among high income workers. Conclusions — The high prevalence of smoking observed among adult males in West Java may preview a future epidemic of tobacco related disease in this population. Tobacco control interventions are needed to lower the smoking prevalence among males and to prevent future generations of women from taking up smoking.]