Prevalence and Characteristics of Smoking in the Capital Region

Abstract

Introduction: Commitment to a healthy lifestyle and quitting tobacco and e-cigarette smoking remains an important problem of the modern society. The article examines behavioral characteristics associated with smoking and the attitude towards smoking of various categories of people.

Objective: To determine behavioral characteristics inconsistent with a healthy lifestyle, including tobacco consumption and e-cigarette use.

Materials and methods: The study is based on data of the survey “Selective Observation of the Health Status of the Population” conducted in 2024 by the Federal Service for State Statistics of the Russian Federation (Rosstat) in all constituent entities of the country involving 98,961 people aged 15 and over (42 % of men and 58 % of women).

Residents of Moscow made up 6.8 % and those of the Moscow Region – 4.2 % of the respondents (6,743 and 4,114 people, respectively).

Results: In 2024, 10 % of Russian people and 7 % of Moscow citizens were strongly committed to a healthy lifestyle. In the capital, 29 % of men and 10 % of women were chronic tobacco smokers while 5 % of men and 3 % of women were occasional smokers. No differences in e-cigarette use were noted between men and women: 9 % smoked electronic cigarettes daily (4 % of men and 3 % of women did this periodically). Almost 14 % of the Muscovites tried to quit smoking. Of those who wanted to quit smoking, 59 % received advice from a doctor or other health worker about the importance of quitting smoking.

Conclusions: Smokers are much more loyal to health risks of smoking, which can be an obstacle to quitting smoking. The resource of involving healthcare professionals able to support patients willing to quit smoking in resolving the problem is not fully utilized.