Abstract
INTRODUCTIONThe EMENO (National Morbidity and Risk Factors) survey is one of the first and most representative population-based surveys in Greece due to its study design and sampling procedure. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of smoking, secondhand smoking (SHS) and their potential associations with other socioeconomic and unhealthy lifestyle risk factors.METHODSEMENO is a cross-sectional health status survey conducted in Greece from May 2013 to June 2016. The survey was performed using face-to-face interviews and enrolled 6006 adults. Data were collected through questionnaires administered by trained interviewers. Current smoking (CS) and SHS were based on self-reporting. Analysis accounted for study design.RESULTSInformation on smoking was available for 5862 individuals (97.6%). Overall, 37.8% were current and 16.1% former smokers. More males (44.3%) than females (31.6%) were current smokers. CS increased during adulthood and declined sharply in the elderly (p<0.001). Smoking initiation by the age of 17 years was reported by 48.7% of males and 36.2% of females. Multivariable analysis showed that higher alcohol consumption (>7 glasses/ week, OR=2.52; 95% CI: 1.97–3.23) and lower education level in men were positively associated with ever smoking. Moreover, women aged >35 years and respondents with low adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) (high/ low, OR= 0.35; 95% CI: 0.21–0.58) had higher odds to be current smokers than former smokers. Finally, the overall prevalence of exposure to SHS at work, home and public places was 38.8%, 30% and 44.6 %, respectively.CONCLUSIONSUnhealthy lifestyles of smokers, increased rates of CS in vulnerable groups, such as females and young adults, and early age of smoking initiation constitute alarming public health issues in Greece.
Highlights
INTRODUCTION TheEMENO (National Morbidity and Risk Factors) survey is one of the first and most representative population-based surveys in Greece due to its study design and sampling procedure
General features of smoking prevalence in Greece Out of 6006 individuals participating in the survey, 13 had missing values for age and gender and 131 (2.2%) for smoking status, yielding a total of 5862 study participants
The majority of the study population (62.7%) was living in urban areas, 47.1% had finished at least secondary school and 40% had less than 900 euros monthly family income
Summary
EMENO (National Morbidity and Risk Factors) survey is one of the first and most representative population-based surveys in Greece due to its study design and sampling procedure. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of smoking, secondhand smoking (SHS) and their potential associations with other socioeconomic and unhealthy lifestyle risk factors. Studies have shown that high blood pressure and smoking were the two leading risk factors of early death and disability worldwide in 20152. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that smoking and smokeless tobacco use accounted for 6 million deaths globally per year, with 0.6 million due to the effects of secondhand smoking (SHS)[1]. Tobacco use is one of the four modifiable behavioral risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), along with physical inactivity, harmful alcohol use, and unhealthy diet. There are few studies to prove it[4]
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