Prevalence of Smoking in the Outskirts of Mashhad, Iran

Background:Globally, smoking is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality. It is also an important social determinant of health and the largest contributor to health inequalities. While several prevalence studies are conducted on special groups such as physicians, less such studies have been focused on deprived areas (areas with lacking adequate food, shelter, education, etc). The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of smoking in the outskirts of Mashhad, Iran. Methods:This analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 500 residents of sub-urban areas of Mashhad, Iran. Subjects were included and were interviewed using a multi-stage random sampling method.   Results:Composition of subjects, 40% (200) were male. Mean age was 35±11 years. Twenty-four percent (117) of subjects were smokers (18% women and 33% of men). Hookah was used twice as much as cigarettes (18% vs. 9%, respectively). Smoking was most prevalent between 25 and 34 years old for both genders. More than 75% of smokers had low grade education. Conclusion:Smoking is of high prevalence in suburban areas of Mashhad. Target oriented interventions are needed to effectively lower this major health risk factor.