SS 16.00-17.30 Special sessions

SMOKING IN THE REPUBLIC OF KARELIA, RUSSIA, AND IN NORTH KARELIA, FINLAND

Smoking and process related variables were studied in a population survey in Pitkäranta district in the Republic of Karelia, Russia and in North Karelia Finland in spring 1992. The samples were stratified random samples of people between 25 and 64 years of age. The sample size was 1000 in Pitkäranta and 2000 in North Karelia. Participation rates were 84% and 74% respectively. The survey included a self administered questionnaire and laboratory tests. The validation of the selfreported smoking was done by serum cotinine measurement. Process related variables were calculated only for men because of the small number of smoking women in Pitkäranta.

In Pitkäranta 65% of men and 11% of women were current smokers while in North Karelia the respective rates were 31% and 16%. In Pitkäranta smoking was most prevalent in the youngest age group both among men and women. There was more under reporting of smoking in Pitkäranta than in North Karelia especially among women. In Pitkäranta 12% of men and 13% of women reported not to have smoked during the last month, but still had serum cotinine level 10 ng/ml or higher. In North Karelia the respective rates were 5% and 3%. In Pitkäranta 6% of men and 46% of women who had serum cotinine level higher than 10 ng/ml reported not to have smoked during the last month. In North Karelia the respective rates were 10% and 14%. The prevalence of smokers would rise 3 to 4%-points in North Karelia and among men in Pitkäranta if corrected with those having cotinine in serum but among women in Pitkäranta the rise would be 1I%-points. Passive smoking did not explain these high cotinine values. About 40% of smoking men thought to smoke far too much both in Pitkäranta and in North Karelia. In Pitkäranta 75% of men and in North Karelia 57% of men wanted to quit and 32% of men in Pitkäranta and 25% of men in North Karelia thought to succeed in quitting if they would try. Attempts to quit were less frequent in Pitkäranta than in North Karelia, 62% of men in Pitkäranta had never tried to quit while in North Karelia the respective rate was 35%. The proportion of current smokers who had visited the doctor or other health personnel during the last year and had not been advised to quit was 60% in Pitkäranta and 42% in North Karelia.

The high prevalence of smokers who want to quit and who have never tried and never been advised to quit gives a challenging opportunity for a community based smoking cessation programme in Pitkäranta. The real smoking prevalence among women is likely to be higher than the selfreported smoking prevalence in Pitkäranta.

Smoke Free Europe Conference Abstracts - 19 SEP 1996

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