Smoking habits - a question of trend or unemployment? A comparison of young men and women between boom and recession

The increased unemployment rates during the 1990s were followed by decrease d cigarette consumption. The aim of this study was to analyse the associati on between unemployment and smoking habits among young men and women during times of prosperity and recession. Two groups of final-year pupils were su rveyed five years after leaving school, at the age of 21, in 1986 (boom) an d 1994 (recession). The boom group included 1083 pupils; the recession grou p 898 pupils. The non-response rate was 2% in the boom group and 10% in the recession group. Daily tobacco use was measured through self-administered questionnaires. Daily cigarette smoking was of a lower magnitude during the recession (9.7% among men and 21.9% among women) compared to the boom (19. 8% and 37.8%, respectively). A low level of education, and among women also financial problems and motherhood, were associated with mon frequent smoki ng. Unemployment was associated with tobacco consumption, especially among women and during the boom. Thus, smoking habits were found to be a question of both unemployment and tobacco trends in society.