Background: A population-based cross-sectional study was performed to assess smoking prevalence in Austria and to compare the results with data from 1986.
Methods: A representative sample of Austrians (n = 2,400) who in 1995 were > or = 15 years of age was obtained. A total of 2,065 respondents were interviewed about their smoking habits.
Results: Approximately 31% of the population age > or = 15 are regular cigarette smokers, 12% are former smokers, 6% smoke occasionally, and 51% have never smoked. Among males, the prevalence of regular smoking increases with age and reaches its highest level between the ages of 25 and 34. The age distribution among female regular smokers shows a similar pattern, peaking in the same age group (35.7% smokers). No significant differences in smoking prevalence were found according to monthly household income, years of school, and number of inhabitants at place of residence. At the time of interview 45.7% of male and 20.9% of female regular smokers consumed > 20 cigarettes per day. Compared with data from 1986 the prevalence of regular smokers increased from 18.1 to 24.2% among females and from 35.5 to 38.9% among males.
Conclusions: Smoking prevalence increased in Austria between 1986 and 1995 by 33.7% among females and by 9.6% among males. Patterns of smoking among females (prevalence and cigarettes per day) are approaching those of males.