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[Smoking prevalence in Catalonia (Spain), 1982-1998: a gender perspective]
Mireia Jané1, Esteve Saltó, Hèlios Pardell
1Consejo Asesor sobre Tabaquismo en Cataluña, Dirección General de Salud Pública, Departamento de Sanidad y Seguridad Social, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Medicina Clinica
|February 5, 2002
Summary
Smoking prevalence in Catalonia remained stable overall, but increased significantly in women and young people, while decreasing in men. This highlights a concerning shift in smoking habits across different demographics.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Sociology
Context:
- Analyzes smoking prevalence trends in the Catalan population (Spain) from 1982 to 1998.
- Utilizes data from the Catalan Department of Health surveys conducted in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998.
- Incorporates a gender perspective to understand demographic-specific smoking behaviors.
Purpose:
- To describe the evolution of smoking prevalence in Catalonia over a 16-year period.
- To examine gender-specific trends in smoking behaviors, including prevalence, intensity, and duration.
- To identify shifts in smoking patterns among different age groups, particularly young people.
Summary:
- Overall smoking prevalence in the 15-64 year-old Catalan population remained stable (1.1% variability) between 1982 and 1998, with 37.5% smokers in 1998.
- Female smoking prevalence increased by 53.5% to 30.7% in 1998, while male prevalence decreased by 23.8% to 44.4%.
- A concerning trend reversal was observed in young people (15-24 years) between 1994-1998, with increasing prevalence after a prior decline.
Impact:
- Highlights the persistent high smoking rates in Catalonia despite overall stability.
- Underscores the unfavorable and specific smoking characteristics among women and young individuals of both sexes.
- Informs targeted public health interventions to address evolving smoking behaviors and reduce associated health risks.