目標：本研究目的為描述國人嚼檳榔行為現況，分析2001年與2005年調查結果變化，探討吸菸與嚼檳榔特殊關係。方法：使用「國民健康訪問調查」18歲以上資料，樣本數各為16,136人與18,871人，依年齡、社經地位及地區別分析嚼檳榔盛行狀況，計算嚼食量、嚼檳榔與吸菸開始年齡、性別差異，對嚼檳榔行為及吸菸行為作交叉分析，利用SAS9.1.3版套裝軟體進行加權、統計分析。結果：男性嚼檳榔盛行率4年間由14.6%，增為15.8%。「每天嚼檳榔者」增加相當於16萬人。嚼食量也有增加的趨勢，每天嚼食顆數從18.3顆增加為19.6顆，台灣全年合計增加約7億顆。高嚼量者，每日檳榔嚼食重量與每日食米量相當。同一時期台灣吸菸率自46.7%（2001年）稍稍降為44.6%（2005年）。有嚼檳榔者十之八九(85.2%)也有吸菸，這群人絕大部分(94.1%)其開始吸菸年齡早於嚼檳榔或同時開始。間接觀察發現，吸菸者若能戒菸，3/4(77%)嚼檳榔的習慣就消失了。結論：近年來台灣男性吸菸率雖稍有下降，嚼檳榔的人口卻沒有減少，令人為這群日益增加的檳榔族群健康擔憂，因為他們的吸菸，使檳榔的害處因此加成。如果他們能成功戒菸，檳榔的習慣也將隨之減少，所以成功的檳榔防制政策將建立於推動有效的菸害防制政策，而且因為檳榔危害台灣民眾健康甚大，制定有效防制政策刻不容緩。

Objectives: The goals of this study were to compare the prevalence of betel quid chewing between 2001 and 2005, and to analyze the relationship between chewing and smoking. Methods: Two sets of nationally representative data from the National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS), 2001 (n=16,136) and 2005 (n=18,871) were compared. The prevalence of chewing was calculated by age, educational level, occupation, level of income, geographic areas, smoking status, daily amount, and age of initiation. The analysis was carried out with the use of SAS 9.1.3 software. Results: The prevalence of chewing in men increased from 14.6% to 15.8% over the 4 year period, with 160,000 new daily chewers added to the addicted population. The amount of betel quid consumed also increased from 18.3 to 19.6 pieces a day, amounting to an annual addition of 700 million pieces. The weight of betel quid consumed daily by the heaviest chewers was equivalent to the amount of rice staple consumed. The majority of chewers (85.2%) also smoked, and nearly all of them (94.1%) started to smoke either before they started to chew or began the two habits at the same time. The chewing habit reduced sharply (77.0%) after smokers quit smoking. Conclusions: Despite an observed reduction in the smoking rate, the prevalence and the amount of chewing increased between 2001 and 2005. As most chewers also smoke, they suffer from double jeopardy. In view of the fact that most smokers who quit smoking also quit chewing, an effective tobacco control policy would be a prerequisite for betel quid control.