The pattern of smoking habits: A hospital-based study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the pattern of smoking habits in Indonesia and to identify its risk in the develoltnrent r.tJ snroking-relatedillnesses. Tentl'tousandsfivehundredsandtwo(10502)patientsvisiti,lgtheOutPatientDepartmentoftleDejnrtntent of Internal Medicine Facuby of Medicine university of lttdonesia Dr. Cipto Mangunkusomo Hospital Jakarta, during lhe period of Jrurc 1' 1997 until May 31, 1998 have been interviewed about age, educatiott and smoking habit. The collected data calletl the l99B ttata was compared with the t'mpubLished data collected by the same methodfrom 13427 naLe patients visitirtg the sante clepartntent durirry the period October l, 1978 until March t, 1979, called the 1978 dara. This studyfouna that rhe nnjority of male resltorrleuts were sntokers, they started sntoking mostly at the age of I6-24 years. In 1978 tlrc prevalence ofsmokers was-5yVn antl the percettttge ofth.sc who began sntoking before the age of 25 years was 76Vo, vvhile in I 998 it was 6I Va and 80Vo respectively. The prevalettci ul y"urol, smokers was 6Vo. The percentage of smokers who smoked for I 5 years or n'tore increased from 25do n 58Vo, of smokers wtto citrsunrcd ntore than l0 %, of high