Trend of cigarette smoking in Iranian adult population from ۲۰۰۰ to ۲۰۱۱ based on four national surveys

Background: Tobacco smoking has been a major health concern for many years. People's awareness of the potential health hazards and government policies might change its pattern and prevalence of use. In order to monitor its conversion, determining the overall pattern of tobacco use and trend analyses would be crucial, which were aimed in the present study.Methods: Patterns of smoking in four national surveys conducted in years ۲۰۰۰, ۲۰۰۵, ۲۰۰۷, and ۲۰۱۱ with ۳۳۳۰۰, ۸۹۳۳۷, ۵۲۸۷, and ۸۸۳۷ participants, respectively, were assessed. Current status of cigarette, pipe and water-pipe smoking, the number of cigarettes used per day, and the age of smoking initiation were major parameters. After weighting based on province, residential area, gender, and age group, trend analysis was done through complex samples general linear model using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version ۲۰.۰. The values in the first survey (۲۰۰۰) were considered as reference points and categories.Results: While current cigarette smoking prevalence has been decreased (۱۳.۵% in ۲۰۰۰ to ۱۱.۳% in ۲۰۱۱) P<۰.۰۰۱, the average of pack-years increased. There was no significant decline in the mean age of initiation. It is also true for the prevalence of pipe and water-pipe smoking, which showed no noticeable difference compared to ۲۰۰۰. Conclusion: According to our findings it seems that health policy makers should focus more on designing programs targeting water-pipe consumption and also pay attention to the trends among subgroups for tailoring policies and scheme implementation.

Keywords:

Awareness , Cigarette Smoking , Prevalence , Trend Analysis , Tobacco Use , Water-Pipe Smoking