OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of smoking and associated factors in adults 20 to 59 years old. METHODS: A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out in a sample of 2,022 individuals resident in the urban area of a medium-sized city in Southeast Brazil. Home interviews were conducted to collect information about socioeconomic aspects, demographic variables, self-reported health conditions, use of medical and dental services, self-rated health, problems with alcohol, smoking, nutritional status, and blood pressure. Prevalence ratios (PR) through Poisson regression were calculated. RESULTS: The global prevalence of smoking was 30.1% (CI95%:27.8-32.3). Variables associated with smoking were: low per capita income (PR = 1.49; 95% CI:1.26-1.77), less than eight years of education (PR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.68-2.56), report of drinking problems (PR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.17-1.73), not having used medical services in the year before (PR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04-1.41), and negative self assessment of oral health (PR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.09-1.50). Conditions of self-reported health associated with smoking were: sputum (PR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.83-2.35), chest wheezing (PR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20-1.75), breathlessness (PR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.19-1.66), and body mass index < 25kg/m² (PR = 1.57; 95% CI: 1.36-1.80). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of smoking in the population was high. Public policies are needed to reduce the prevalence and morbidity of smoking considering the unequal distribution of events in the population strata.
Smoking; Epidemiologic studies; Prevalence
