[Prevalence of smoking in Izhevsk].

The purpose of the investigation was to study the prevalence of smoking as the most aggressive risk factor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in different populations of a large industrial center. A questionnaire survey was conducted in 485 schoolchildren, 427 students, and 1406 adults from Izhevsk. The smoking rates were 73.4, 20.5, and 36.3 per 100 respondents among men, women, and students, respectively. Among the schoolchildren from the 9th to 11th forms, the number of smokers increased from 29.0 to 48.9 and from 10.2 to 11.2 per 100 respondents in boys and girls, respectively. The smokers with higher education were fewer than those with secondary and secondary specialized education.