Smoking patterns among Chinese rural-urban migrant workers

To estimate smoking prevalence and identify correlates of smoking initiation among rural-urban migrant workers.

Subjects were 4198 rural-urban migrant workers, aged 18 years and older, residing in three Chinese cities.

Participants were identified through multistage quota sampling. They were asked about their migration history, pre-migration and post-migration smoking status, employment and home life. Analyses were conducted using Chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression.

Overall, smoking prevalence was higher subsequent to migration (28.4%) compared with before migration (20.8%) (P<0.01). Initiation of daily smoking was associated with gender [odds ratio (OR) 0.02]; high school or greater education (OR 0.48; vs elementary school or lower); having a monthly personal income of 1000-1999 Yuan (OR 2.60), 2000-2999 Yuan (OR 3.08) or > or =3000 Yuan (OR 4.04) (vs <500 Yuan US$ 1=7.5 Yuan); and history of migration to three cities (OR:1.65) or four or more cities (OR 2.80) (vs one city). Initiation of occasional smoking was only associated with gender (OR 0.11). Solitude was the primary situational trigger for smoking initiation.

A migratory lifestyle is associated with smoking initiation. Findings could inform the design of tobacco control programmes that would target Chinese rural-urban migrant workers as a special population.