Poverty as a smoking trap.

BACKGROUND

The relationship between smoking and poverty is a public health issue in many countries, and several studies have shown a link between living in deprived neighbourhoods and smoking. In France the prevalence of smoking has decreased since the year 2000s. We examined whether reduced smoking rates differed by socio-economic status, anticipating reductions to be smaller amongst lower socio-economic groups. We also investigated whether poor housing conditions and/or living in a deprived neighbourhood were significantly associated with smoking.

METHODS

Data were collected by telephone surveys conducted between 2000 and 2007 with representative samples of the French population aged 18-75. The data from the last of these surveys (2007, N=6007) were also used to carry out a cluster analysis on various indicators relating to housing conditions and neighbourhood.

RESULTS

Between 2000 and 2007 the social differential in smoking rates increased sharply in France. Specific types of neighbourhood and poor housing conditions (described as cramped housing in a noisy and stressful environment or deprived neighbourhood), which were closely correlated with socio-economic status, were found to be significantly correlated with smoking, even after adjusting for potential key confounders and especially for individual markers of social disadvantage.

CONCLUSION

Interventions which do not specifically target smoking but which contribute to improving poor smokers' living conditions, are necessary to promote smoking cessation.