Smoking in adults in Sri Lanka: prevalence and attitudes

A questionnaire was administered to 1565 adults to identify the prevalence of smoking and to assess respondents' attitudes toward smoking. Of men 41% were yearly smokers, 27.8% were monthly smokers and 21% were daily smokers. The corresponding figures for women were 3.4%, 2% and 0.6% respectively. Higher prevalence rates were observed among less educated, middle-aged men who were from underprivileged families. About 23% of men and 0.9% of women were monthly alcohol users. Alcohol use seems to be positively associated with smoking. A considerable portion of both smokers and non-smokers expressed a favorable attitude towards smoking habits of adult males (40.1% of smokers and 12.8% of non-smokers) and towards the tobacco industry (25.1% of smokers and 13.1 of non-smokers). Since the majority of people in Sri Lanka are non-smokers, attitudinal support given by them in promoting smoking in the society needs to be addressed effectively in smoking control interventions.