Cigarette Dependence among Males and Females Aged 50+ Living in İzmir, Turkey

Background: Smoking, the most important preventable cause of death overall, is also the leading cause ofcancer-related mortality. Tobacco consumption has a direct or indirect relationship with most types of cancer. InTurkey, the second leading cause of death is cancer, with lung cancer the most prevalent.
Objective: The aim ofthis study was to determine the level of cigarette dependence among men and women aged 50+, living in İzmir.
Methods: This research is a descriptive and cross-sectional field study, carried out with the participation of atotal of 2,497 subjects.
Results: It was found that 48.8% of the participants used to be smokers, and 95.5% ofthe smoking participants had been smoking for at least 11 years at the time of study. 36.1% of the participantswere being exposed to secondhand smoke at home, and almost one third of the smokers (29%) had a moderatelevel of dependence.
Conclusions: Continuing education may help high-risk groups develop good habits fora healthier lifestyle such as smoking less and quitting smoking, thereby reducing the level of morbidity andmortality of most common types of cancer.