Prevalence of smoking habit and associated factors. Municipality of Matanzas. 2009-2010

Abstract

The World Health Organization considers smoking an epidemics, being one of the main problems of the world´s public health; besides the diseases, life year lost, the deceases unquestionably provoked and the sanitary expenses caused, smoking represents an additional charge for the public health care. Cuba is among the first countries in the consumption of cigarettes and cigars per capita, so in our country an epidemic character is attributed to smoking. In the last risk factors national enquiry in 2001, the municipality of Matanzas presented a 29,1 % prevalence. This problem led us to this research. Its aims were quantifying smoking prevalence and identifying smoking associated factors in persons aged 15 years and more in the municipality of Matanzas in 2001-2010. For that we carried out a cross-sectional analytical observational study. For the selection of the sample we took into account the protocol of the Pan-American Heath Organization known as CARMEN. We developed the analysis for complex samples using the risk approach with Odd ratio and confidence intervals of 95 %. Among the main results obtained were 24,3 %  prevalence of smoking, more frequent in male gender and associated to other diseases like alcoholism, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. The beginning of the smoking   habit stood out in early ages. Most of the smokers want to quit smoking and had intended it before. Few smokers ask for help to quit smoking. Health care professionals do not always recommend quitting smoking nor help the people asking for it.