Health damage caused by the smoking habit in Chile

The authors review available literature on tobacco use in Chile, devoting particular attention to smoking prevalences, smoking-related health problems, risk factors that tend to encourage smoking, and appropriate control measures. Overall, the available data indicate that roughly 40% of Chile's adult population smokes, that smoking among women is on the rise, that some 11% of both infant and general mortality can be linked to tobacco use, that smoking during pregnancy poses serious health risks, and that the attitudes of physicians and other health workers can have a crucial impact upon the smoking behavior of their patients.