Table 1 The number and percentage of households by smoking status, National Health Services Survey (NHSS) survey
Household groupingsNationalUrbanRural
No (%)No (%)No (%)
Never-smoking households* (NS)21 588 (37.9)7284 (43.4)14 304 (35.6)
Low tobacco consumption (Low)10 602 (18.8)3499 (20.9)7205 (18.0)
Medium tobacco consumption (Medium)14 447 (26.6)3638 (21.7)11 504 (28.7)
High tobacco consumption (High)7702 (12.1)1440 (8.6)5465 (13.6)
One former smoker† (1 quit)1049 (1.8)341 (2.0)708 (1.8)
Two or more former smokers† (2+ quit)934 (1.6)389 (2.3)545 (1.4)
Mixed (smokers and quitters)‡ (Mixed)594 (1.0)192 (1.1)402 (1.0)
Total56 916 (100)16 783 (100)40 133 (100)
  • *No current or former smokers in the household, NS (household of never-smokers).

  • †No current smokers but there are one (1 quit) or at least two former smokers (2+ quit) who have quit smoking in the household.

  • ‡At least one current smoker, and also at least one former smoker who has quit in the household.

  • Low, low tobacco consumption (0–25% of distribution of household tobacco consumption); Medium (25–75%); and High tobacco consumption (75–100%).

  • The categories are mutually exclusive—ie, “mixed” households with smokers and quitters are not also counted as low, medium or high consumption households.