Tobacco and Public Health - TCSC Indonesia

YANG HONGHUAN 219
◆ Among males, smoking rates were lowest among those with at least a college education
(54.2%) and highest among those with no more than primary schooling
(72.4%). Smoking rates among males also varied by occupational group. Over 70%
of farmers, factory workers, service people, private company employees, those selfemployed,
and the floating or itinerant population with no fixed residence were
smokers. Smoking rates for male health professionals (60%) and male teachers
(56%)—two key groups of male role models for prevention—were also high.
Among women, smoking rates by occupation were distinctly different, with the
highest rates among retired persons (11%), and those working at home (8%).
◆ The smoking rate for rural males (68.4%) was slightly higher than for urban males
(64%) at all ages. Older women living in urban areas smoked more than women in
rural areas, with a peak prevalence rate of 16% at age 65 years. Regional distributions
show that among males, smoking rates were high throughout China, but
especially so in the southwest. For females, there was significant variation in smoking
rates by region, with the highest rates in the northeast and north of China
(10.2%) and the lowest (2.5%) in the south.
◆ Most smokers used filtered cigarettes, which dominated the market, especially
among the young. Only about 20% of the men and women smoked unfiltered
brands. Smoking practices varied across the country, reflecting different cultural
practices by ethnic groups. The Chinese pipe was commonly smoked in particular
areas, primarily the south and southeast, and hand-rolled cigarettes were used in
the northeast, where for example, 20% of older men and middle-aged women
smoked pipe tobacco.
Smoking in women
The prevalence of tobacco use in Chinese women was lower than in men, which was
related to the social and cultural background of China. However, the prevalence of
tobacco use was not same for different generations of women. There were several
stages: the prevalence among women born in 1921–40 was higher, almost 10–15 per
cent, which was consistent with the tobacco industry’s marketing strategy during
1930–40. Meanwhile the prevalence of tobacco use was higher among the Northeast
women than in other areas and was similar to tobacco use from Korea to the Northeast.
The reason for this is worth studying.
Smoking in adolescence
In recent years there have been over ten studies on smoking prevalence and smokingrelated
knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among adolescents in China, including the
Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) (Wang et al. 1994; Li et al. 1999; Warren et al.
2000) and a 1998 survey which covered 12 urban areas and 12 rural areas located in
16 provinces. The GYTS included over 10 000 students aged 13–15 years, from four
cities. The 1998 survey primarily focused on middle school students, but also included