Introduction
There have been many prospective cohort studies of
the association between smoking and all-cause mortality
(Thun et al., 1996; Doll et al., 2004; Hozawa et al., 2004)
including at least 34 in the Asia-Pacific region (Barzi et
al., 2008). These studies all show smokers are more likely
to die than non smokers, and that heavy smokers have a
higher risk of death than light smokers. However, this is
the first community-based cohort study with a long followup
period to be reported from Thailand, and the first in an
entirely rural population in Asia.