[Smoking habits in Germany -- results of the German National Telephone Health Survey 2003].

Analyses are based on the National German Telephone Health Survey 2003, which provides data on current smoking behaviour among residents aged 18 years and older in Germany. Smoking prevalence is approximately 37 % for men and 28 % for women. About 95 % of the smokers prefer cigarettes, whereas other tobacco goods are secondary and predominantly consumed by men from middle age onwards. Among cigarette consumers, almost half of the men and one third of the women smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day. Over the years, the average age at onset of smoking has become earlier in life, particularly among women. Women born between 1970 and 1985 started smoking at the age of nearly 16, which is comparable to the age at onset among men. Considering data of preceding German National Health Surveys, the percentage of smokers has slightly decreased among men but increased among women during the past twenty years. The presented analyses confirm previous results on unequivocal social and socio-economic differences in smoking.