Current Prevalence Rate of Cigarette Smoking among Adult Patients at a Tertiary Hospital in South East Nigeria

Purpose: The objective of this study is to ascertain the current prevalence of smoking among the adult patients presenting at the outpatient department of Federal University Teaching Hospital, Owerri, Imo state.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on consecutive patients aged 18 years and above from February to March 2023. Patients data were collected using interview administered questionnaire.

Results: Six hundred and forty-three patients (427 males vs 216 females) were enrolled in the study. The prevalence rate of smoking in the study population is 10.3%, with majority of male smokers 87.9% compared to female smokers 12.1%.Self-employed patients and students accounted for majority of the smokers while there was no pensioner or housewife that smoked.

Conclusion: The prevalence of smoking in the study population is still very high, hence, the need for more active measures to enforce smoking cessation.