Smoking and its pulmonary implications in a sample of the population in a community of Fortaleza, CE

Smoking is defined as acute or chronic intoxication due to the consumption of tobacco derivatives, and, in Brazil, almost 40% of the population above fifteen years old are smokers. One of the primary complications of smoking as a habit is a cardiac-respiratory attack. The object of this project was to determine the percentage of tobacconists from a sample of the population from Cidade 2000 community in Fortaleza – CE and the pulmonary complications reported by the participants themselves. This was a descriptive, longitudinal, epidemiological study, that was quantitative in nature and held during the second semester of 2004. A questionnaire was used to gather data by means of interviewing 100 individuals of both sexes, above fifteen years old. The obtained results showed that 55 (55%) of the interviewed population were tobacconists, 51% being illiterate. The most referred clinical complaints related to smoking were: coughing (22%), shortness of breath (14%), and mucus accumulation (14%). The smoking habit was related mainly to addiction (33%) and pleasure (31%). Neighborhood public health services were sought by 44.5% of all smokers. According to the data, smoking is significant in this community, being directly related to the educational level and a addiction and pleasure are determinant factors for the habit’s maintenance. Due to the negative effects of smoking and the importance of the primary health care, it may be suggested to increase the offering of preventive and educational actions, as well as therapeutic respiratory rehabilitation in the ambulatory services that attend the studied population