Ali, SajidSathiakumar, NaliniDelzell, Elizabeth2009-05-272009-05-272006-09-06Ali S, Sathiakumar N, Delzell E. Prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with tobacco smoking among adult males in rural Sindh, Pakistan. The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health. 2006 Sep; 37(5): 1054-60http://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/33016The Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health.This cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of tobacco smoking and to obtain information on socio-demographic factors associated with tobacco smoking among adult males in a rural district of Sindh Province, Pakistan. We used a one-stage cluster sampling frame to identify 411 adult males from the study site. We found a high prevalence, 55% of current smokers among this rural population. The median age of initiation of smoking was 20 years. Awareness of the adverse effects of smoking on lung and heart diseases was 86% and 77%, respectively. Smoking prevalence increased with age and income, and was highest among subjects aged 44 years and above (76%) and with incomes of more than PKR 4000 (72%). The high prevalence of smoking suggests that there is an urgent need for developing intervention plans to address this major public health problem in this region.engAdolescentAdultAge FactorsCross-Sectional StudiesHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansMaleMiddle AgedPakistan --epidemiologyPrevalenceRural Population --statistics & numerical dataSmoking --epidemiologySocioeconomic FactorsJournal Article