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.