EDUCATIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL CORRELATES O F CHANGES IN CIGARETTE-SMOKING AND ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION - FINDINGS OF THE MONICA AUGSBURG COHORT STUDY

This study examined the influence of educational achievement and occup ational position on changes in risk behavior. Study Population were 37 53 men and women aged 25 - 64 years who were sampled by the first MONI CA Augsburg Survey (Monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascul ar disease). The subjects were sampled in 1984-85, were followed up fo r three years, and were reexamined in 1987-88. The baseline findings s howed for both men and women a statistically significant inverse assoc iation between current cigarette smoking and educational level. During the follow-up period the differences between highest and lowest educa tional levels increased significantly among men. In 1987-88 only 21 % of the best educated men were smokers compared to 38 % of those with t he lowest educational level. Men with low educational levels also dran k more alcohol than better educated men, whereas among women those wit h lowest educational level drank less alcohol than the better educated . Statistically independent of education and age it was found that mal e civil servants and farmers had the lowest proportion of smokers in c ross-sectional as well as longitudinal analyses. Among women, smoking was and remained most prevalent in simple white-collar occupations. In general, the findings indicate that the type of occupation and the ac tual working conditions have effects on life-style related risk factor s which are in part independent of a social gradient. The results also suggest that the tendency to change unhealthy behavior is less pronou nced in ,,high risk'' groups.