[Smoking habits of Danes 1988-1993. A follow-up of earlier population studies].

The present study is a six year follow-up of earlier published population studies, where about 18,000 subjects in the normal population over fifteen years of age are interviewed annually in omnibus surveys. The study shows a further continuous fall in the percentage of smokers among males (45% in 1993) and during the last years also a smaller decrease among females (39% in 1993). Smokers of tobacco other than cigarettes have stopped smoking to a greater extent than have cigarette smokers. The most pronounced decrease in percentage of smokers has been observed in the youngest age-group (15-19 years), where smoking prevalence has fallen to about 20%, now with a little higher percentage among females than males. The percentage of heavy cigarette-smokers (15 cigarettes or more daily) is still increasing (now 22% in the male population and 16% in the female population, corresponding to about 800,000 in the total population in Denmark). The increase is especially seen in groups with the lowest educational level. The annual surveys are used as guidelines for directing anti-smoking campaigns in the general population. Future campaigns should in Denmark be concentrated on school children and young people, women between 20 and 40 years, and the increasing group of heavy cigarette smokers. Specific smoking cessation programmes will be run in 1995 (STOP '95).