Prevalence and pattern of smoking among patients attending primary health care service - National Guard Health Affairs, WR

Objective: to determine the prevalence of smoking among adult diabetic subjects attending Medical Specialist Center (MSC) at National Guard Health Affairs, Jeddah and determine the pattern of smoking among diabetics. Methodology: A cross sectional analytical study was designed. Participants were selected randomly. Data was collected through questionnaires filled in by participants. Medical records were viewed to complete data. Statistical analysis was done by SPSS software version 14. Results: The overall prevalence of smoking was 35.06%. Among diabetic patients the prevalence of smoking was 45.4% while it was 34.4% among non diabetics. Interestingly, the prevalence of smoking was higher in female diabetics than male diabetics (22.9% vs 12.5%, P < 0.05). Dyslipidemia and infrequent physical activity were the most associated variables to smoking with no significant difference between diabetics and non diabetics (p > 0.05) Conclusion: Smoking is a significant heath problem with high prevalence among diabetics. Female gender, infrequent physical activity, and relatives with diabetes were highly associated factors with smoking among diabetics.