To understand the smoking behavior of middle-aged and elderly residents in Lishui and the characteristics of the corresponding population, so as to provide theoretical evidence for tobacco control.

A cluster sampling survey was conducted among the permanent residents aged 50~80 in three streets (townships) of Lishui. The questionnaire included baseline information, smoking (including active smoking and passive smoking) and smoking health knowledge. The survey data of smokers were collected and the distribution characteristics of smokers were analyzed. Analysis of variance was used to compare the measurement data between groups, and the chi square test was used to compare the count data.

A total of 5 627 questionnaires were distributed and 3 090 valid questionnaires were collected. There are 631 smokers and 2 459 non-smokers. The standardized smoking rate is 21.6%, 43.4% for men and 0.12% for women. Among the male respondents, the main performance was the distribution difference of current smokers with different age, education level, occupation and residence (χ²=37.984, 25.445, 7.249, 25.593, P < 0.05). There were 789 passive smokers including 208 males and 551 females, the main performance was the population distribution difference of different age, gender, education level, marital status and residence (χ²=54.922, 151.962, 15.039, 19.365, 16.316, P < 0.05). The scores of health knowledge were different in different age, education, occupation and residence (F=8.352, 24.905, 4.598, 82.934, P < 0.05).

The smoking population in Lishui has obvious distribution characteristics, and the male smoking rate and female passive smoking rate are high. The tobacco control publicity and promotion work should be carried out precisely according to the distribution characteristics of the smoking population.