Evaluation of Smoking and Associated Factors in Turkey

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of tobacco products and associated factors in Turkey based on the Turkey Health Survey 2019 data conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). METHOD: The study was designed as a cross-sectional research. It was conducted by utilizing the “Turkey Health Survey 2019” microdata set from the Turkish Statistical Institute. The data of 17,084 people aged 15 years and over were evaluated. RESULTS: The study examined the data of 17,084 individuals aged ≥15 years surveyed by the TUIK. 27.2% of the participants used tobacco products every day, 3.4% used occasionally, and 54.2% never used them. Furthermore, 15.8% of the participants were exposed to secondhand smoking for ≥1 hour every day, while 7% were exposed to secondhand smoking for <1 hour every day in a closed environment. The reasons for starting to use tobacco products were friend influence for 33.4% of the participants, wannabe for 25.2%, and curiosity for 18.6%. CONCLUSION: More than a quarter of people aged ≥15 years in Turkey smoke every day. The frequency of using tobacco products every day, the daily number of cigarettes smoked, and the frequency of exposure to tobacco products in closed areas were higher among men.