Smoking behaviour in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom: 1958-1982.

Changes of smoking behaviour in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom during the period 1958-1982 were analyzed by means of survey data and production figures. In both countries the percentage of smokers decreased among males and the percentage of ex-smokers increased among males and females. The decrease in the percentage of smokers among females was a recent phenomenon. Tobacco production increased in the Netherlands and decreased in the United Kingdom. An explanation for the Dutch increase was an increasing consumption of cigarettes among female smokers. The changes in smoking behaviour were probably influenced by the extent of anti-smoking information and the "emancipatory effect". If the present trends continue, the number of smokers will decrease considerably.