Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Dec;94(12):2177-87.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.12.2177.

Prevalence of smoking in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union: results from the living conditions, lifestyles and health study

Anna Gilmore  1 , Joceline Pomerleau, Martin McKee, Richard Rose, Christian W Haerpfer, David Rotman, Sergej Tumanov
Affiliations

Prevalence of smoking in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union: results from the living conditions, lifestyles and health study

Anna Gilmore et al. Am J Public Health. 2004 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to provide comparative data on smoking habits in countries of the former Soviet Union.

Methods: We conducted cross-sectional surveys in 8 former Soviet countries with representative national samples of the population 18 years or older.

Results: Smoking rates varied among men, from 43.3% to 65.3% among the countries examined. Results showed that smoking among women remains uncommon in Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova (rates of 2.4%-6.3%). In Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia, rates were higher (9.3%-15.5%). Men start smoking at significantly younger ages than women, smoke more cigarettes per day, and are more likely to be nicotine dependent.

Conclusions: Smoking rates among men in these countries have been high for some time and remain among the highest in the world. Smoking rates among women have increased from previous years and appear to reflect transnational tobacco company activity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Current (a) male and (b) female smoking prevalence rates, by age group.
FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Current (a) male and (b) female smoking prevalence rates, by age group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Peto R, Lopez AD, Boreham J, Thun M, Heath C. Mortality From Smoking in Developed Countries 1950–2000. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press Inc; 1994.
    1. Health for All Database. Copenhagen, Denmark: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe; 2003.
    1. Forey B, Hamling J, Lee P, Wald N. International Smoking Statistics. 2nd ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press Inc; 2002.
    1. Grim CE, Grim CM, Petersen JR, et al. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the Republic of Georgia. J Hum Hypertens. 1999;13:243–247. - PubMed
    1. Grim CE, Grim CM, Kipshidze N, Kipshidze NN, Petersen J. CVD risk factors in Eastern Europe: a rapid survey of the capital of the Republic of Georgia [abstract]. Am J Hypertens. 1997;10:211A.

Publication types