SMOKING-BEHAVIOR IN A SWISS URBAN-POPULATION - THE ROLE OF GENDER ANDEDUCATION

Background Smoking has become more prevalent among U.S. men and women and European men in lower socioeducational groups. The relation betwee n socioeducational status and smoking among European women has been st udied less. Methods. A survey assessing the smoking behavior and educa tional level of 943 women and 961 men ages 35 to 74 years from Geneva, Switzerland, was conducted.Results. The prevalence of never smokers h as declined among younger women but has remained stable among men. Mor e men than women have ever smoked, but the difference has decreased am ong younger generations. Ever smoking was more prevalent among women w ith secondary (47.6%, age-adjusted OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.29 to 3.18) or te rtiary (46.6%, age-adjusted OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.13 to 2.97) education re lative to women with primary education (30.7%). Among males, ever smok ing was slightly more prevalent among lower levels of education. There were moderate differences in quit ratio (ex-smokers/ever smokers) acr oss educational levels among women (trend P = 0.08). In contrast, men with tertiary education stopped smoking more often (63.6%) than those with secondary (54.2%) or primary (47.6%) education (trend P = 0.008). For most women, primary education was associated with a later age at start of smoking while the inverse was true for men. Conclusion. Smoki ng behavior is evolving across generations of women in Geneva. It is m ore prevalent among educated women of the older generations, but this is less so among the younger generations. Women from Geneva may be cur rently experiencing the transition of smoking from upper to lower soci al classes. (C) 1997 Academic Press.