Introduction:

tobacco smoking is the main cause of avoidable death in the world. It is considered the biggest epidemics in the XX century favored by the diversity of complex factors stimulating the habits; its reduction is a challenge for the Public Health around the world.

Objective:

to design an educational intervention for improving knowledge on the noxious effects of tobacco.

Materials and methods:

research of Development in Health Systems and Services that classifies as a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study inserted in the Branch Program on Chronic, Non-communicable Diseases. The universe was 144 smoking patients aged 19 years and more, and the sample 48 patients chosen by simple randomized sampling.

Results:

the incidence was higher in male smokers aged 60 years and more, and in female ones aged 30-39 years; the predominant scholarship was technicians and senior high school; the age of beginning smoking was in the range from 15 and 20 years, corresponding the age of beginning smoking with the presence of the habit in the family context. The association to arterial hypertension is significant, and the behavior of arterial hypertension, ischemic hearth disease and obstructive chronic disease occupy relevant places among female patients. The motives conditioning the smoking habit are the reduction of tensions, manipulation and leisure; knowledge on tobacco noxious effects is appropriate.

Conclusions:

patients do not have risk perception, although they ask for professional help. The proposal of educative intervention was designed.

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