Nicotine Dependence among Rural-Urban Migrants in China

Multi-stage systematic sampling was used to select 4,198 rural-urban migrants aged 18 years or older from three metropolises in China. A structured questionnaire was administered during face-to-face interviews. Nicotine dependence among participants was assessed by means of the six-item Mandarin Chinese Version of the Fagerstr？m Test for Nicotine Dependence (CFTND). Determinants of dependence were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).Among 4,198 participants, estimated current, daily, and occasional smoking rates were 28.3%, 21.2%, and 7.1%, respectively. The CTFND score for the 894 daily smokers was 3.39(SD: 2.32). MANOVA showed that work type, age at first migration, length of migration, and number of cities ever lived were associated with nicotine dependence.A migratory lifestyle is associated with nicotine dependence. Results could inform the design of tobacco control programs that target Chinese rural-urban migrant workers as a special at-risk population.Tobacco smoking and nicotine dependence is a complex syndrome involving physiological, psychological, and behavioral processes [1]. The epidemic of dependence on nicotine harbors enormous adverse consequences for public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that about 4 million deaths worldwide annually are attributable to tobacco use, a number expected to more than double by 2030 [2]. With more than 80% of these deaths occurring in the less developed world, the epidemic will strike hardest in that subgroup of countries whose rapidly growing economies offer their citizens hope for a much improved standard of living [2]. China, with 20% of the world's people population, experiences almost one million tobacco-related deaths per year [3]. This number is projected to reach 2 million annually by 2025 and 3 million by 2050. Thus, a total of 100 million Chinese will succumb to a smoking-related death in the next 50 years if the current smoking rate persists [4].China is primarily a