Smoking Habits among Women over 30 Years of Age in Małopolska

Introduction: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and intensity of smoking among women from urban andrural areas of the Małopolskie province. Material and methods: A structured questionnaire was used by appropriately trained nurses to conduct personal inte-rviews. Smoking-related questions concerned the age of starting to smoke, the duration of smoking and the average numberof cigarettes smoked per day. A total of 840 interviews were carried out. Lifetime exposure to smoking was expressed inpack-years. Results: Interviews were conducted with 602 and 238 women from urban and rural areas of the Małopolskie province, respectively. The percentages of current smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers among the women inhabiting the province are 23.4%, 21.7% and nearly 55%. The percentage of never smokers is significantly higher among women inhabiting ruralareas than those inhabiting urban areas (67.3% vs. 50.0%). Current smokers account for 25.9% and 17.2% of women fromurban and rural areas, respectively. We have not observed any significant differences between urban and rural areas insmoking habits among younger women (below 50 years of age). Conclusions: There is a need for extensive educational efforts that would target women in rural and urban areas and wouldraise the awareness of the dangers of smoking and provide support in smoking cessation.