[Evaluation of "Light" cigarette smoking and the knowledge and attitude of smokers about it in Tehran during 2005]

ABSTRACT

"Light" cigarettes [tar<15g, nicotine<1mg] have been in the market for more than four decades. In Iran as well as many other countries around the world, consumption of light cigarettes is on the rise because of persuading advertisements of tobacco companies about the fewer dangers and milder taste of these cigarettes. In fact, they encourage smokers to choose light cigarettes as an alternative to cessation of smoking. This was a cross-sectional study performed via questionnaires which were designed based on the WHO and IUATLD samples. Thirty volunteer health care workers were chosen from health centers of three educational universities in Tehran to carry out the study. Out of 3026 subjects who answered the questionnaires, 1321 persons [47.4%] smoked light cigarettes, 71.8% of females and 41.8% of males [P<0.001]. Among participants, 71% believed that health risks of light cigarettes were fewer than regular cigarettes. Also, 30.3% of smokers supposed that the chance of addiction to light cigarettes was lower than that to regular cigarettes. 42.9% of the smokers considered three light cigarettes as equal to one full flavored cigarette in terms of tar and nicotine content. The prevalence of light cigarette smoking is high in the studied population. Knowledge and attitude of smokers about the dangers and effects of light cigarettes are not right and need to be corrected