Smoking pattern and associated sociodemographic factors: Findings from a nationwide STEPS survey in Iran

Abstract

Background:Smoking is a modifiable risk factor for noncommunicable diseases with a wide range of harmful health outcomes. Identification of sociodemographic characteristics of smokers can be a guideline to development of effective intervention proportional to target population. This study aimed to determine smoking pattern and its associated sociodemographic factors in Iran.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from the sixth round of nationwide STEPwise approach to Surveillance (STEPS) survey in the 31 provinces of Iran. A total of 10,834 participants aged ≥15 years were selected through a multistage cluster sampling method. Collecting data was performed via three-step questionnaire (ecological, behavioral risk factors, and physical and biochemical measurements). Data analysis was performed via Epi Info and then SPSS version 21 softwares using descriptive methods and analytical tests.Results:Of all participants, 9.6% were current cigarette smokers, which was significantly more frequent among men than women (21.5% vs. 1.1%, respectively, P < 0.001). Smoking was significantly associated with being self-employed and having under diploma education level (P < 0.05). Of all current cigarette smokers, 8.7% were daily smokers. The mean ± standard deviation of systolic blood pressure and history of cardiovascular symptoms in current smokers were higher than nonsmokers (P = 0.005 and P < 0.001, respectively). Coughing for >4 weeks, frequent wheezing, and shortness of breath were significantly more frequent in current smokers than nonsmokers (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P = 0.02, respectively).Conclusions:Our results draw a picture of sociodemographic distribution of smoking pattern to determine the specific characteristics of the target population affecting cigarette smoking and identified specific demographic strategies for preventive and control action plan.

Current Tobacco Smoking Prevalence Among Iranian Population: A Closer Look at the STEPS Surveys

“…The ethnicity of people has probably given rise to similarities in culture and behavior. Among provinces in the north-west and central-west, the people who live in West-Azerbaijan, East-Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and to some extent Qazvin share similarities with the neighboring countries Turkey ( 13 , 22 ) and Azerbaijan ( 16 ) which could have been reflected in their smoking behavior. Similarly, the smoking behavior of people in Kordestan province in Iran, the majority of whom were of Kurd ethnicity, was similar to that of people who lived in the Kurdistan region in Iraq ( 23 , 24 ).…”

National and Provincial Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking in Iran; A Systematic Analysis of 12 Years of STEPS Experience

“…The high prevalence of smoking in border provinces like Ardebil and West Azerbaijan shares similarities with neighboring countries like Azerbaijan and Turkey, which might be a result of cultural and ethnic resemblance of people in these areas. 44 Other studies also showed that about one-fourth of the male population in northwestern Iran smoke cigarettes on a daily basis. 32 These are the regions that showed a higher incidence of lung cancer, as well.…”

Non-communicable diseases’ risk factors in Iran; a review of the present status and action plans

“…Besides, the prevalence of cigarette smoking is much higher in male participants. Turkish ethnicity, self-employment, and lower education level were associated factors with more smoking [ 12 ]. WHO introduced the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FTCT) in 2005 and the MPOWER (Monitor tobacco use, Protect people, Offer help, Warn, Enforce bans, Raise taxes) package in 2008, consisting of six components to control tobacco use [ 52 ].…”

“…Some risk factors are more prominent in Iran because of unhealthy dietary habits such as high salt intake and previous high consumption of saturated oil, physical activity barriers, and widespread tobacco use [12][13][14][15][16]. For Conducting this review, we searched the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for the keywords "Non-Communicable Diseases", "Risk Factor", "Iran", "Epidemiology", "Prevention", and "Action Plan" through all fields of an article and all types of articles, without a language and time restriction.…”