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Objective The aims of this study were to estimate the prevalence of radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) and to assess the association between smoking patterns and OA prevalence in adults aged 50 years or older belonging to the Shanxi province of China. Methods A cross-sectional study in the rural regions of the Shanxi province was conducted among 2638 Chinese adults (aged ≥50 years). Demographic characteristics and behavioral information were collected through epidemiological surveys. All participants with joint pain underwent plain radiographic examination and were diagnosed by a professional orthopedist. Associations between smoking patterns and the prevalence of OA were assessed using binary logistic regression modeling. Results Among 2638 individuals (men, 50.3% and women, 49.7%; mean age, 61.5 years) included in the analysis, 49.8% had radiographic OA and 27.5% had knee OA. The prevalence of radiographic OA was higher in women than in men (P Conclusions This study showed that smoking may not be an independent risk factor for OA; however, there was a positive correlation between active and passive smoking and OA.