Smoking is the leading cause of preventable
morbidity and mortality in the world(1). The number of
smokers worldwide is up to 1 billion, accounting for
18% of the world’s population(2). Cigarette smoking is
a risk factor for a broad range of conditions such as
lung cancers, emphysema, aged appearance, throat
cancer, stroke, ischemic heart disease, gastric ulcer,
diabetes mellitus, and cataract(3). Although the
prevalence of smoking among Western countries has
been in steady decline for more than a decade, smoking
rates continue to rise in many developing countries(4).
Over 500 million smokers are in Asia. Approximately
50% of males smoke.