Cross-sectional, population-based study involving 573 individuals over the age of 60, admitted to 13 LTCFs in the Federal District of Brasília, Brazil. We analyzed the following variables: type of LTCF, gender, age, level of education, monthly income, marital status, retirement status, affective ties, probable depression, motivation for smoking cessation and degree of nicotine dependence. In order to collect these data, the following instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire; the Flanagan Quality of Life Scale; the Mini-Mental State Examination; the Geriatric Depression Scale; the Richmond test; and the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence.