Determinantes do hábito de fumar na cidade de Pelotas, Brasil.

Although the harmful effects of smoking on health are well documented, this habit continues to be highly prevalent in Latin America. The objective of this study is to evaluate the frequency of this habit and its possible determinants in the adult population of the city of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, using a simplified methodology. With the use of a cross-sectional design, a probabilistic sample of 1,401 adults was studied; the no-response rate was 11%. Of those interviewed, 54% had never smoked, 14% were former smokers, and 33% were smokers at the time of the study; 16% smoked 20 or more cigarettes daily. Smoking was more frequent in men (44%) than in women (23%). In relation to educational level, the highest prevalence of smoking was among individuals with five to eight years of schooling (39.7%). The study showed that it is possible with a limited investment of time and resources, to evaluate the frequency of smoking in a representative sample of a medium-sized city, yielding data that will be highly useful for preventive campaigns.