[Smoking and social inequality in Norway 1998-2000]

The Government wants a plan of action for equality in health, and smoking is the leading preventable cause of poor health and early death.

Data were obtained from the national databank on smoking behaviour at the Directorate for Health and Social Affairs. Analyses to explore social gradients in terms of smoking status, intensity of consumption, product preference, age at first cigarette, and awareness of health hazards were run on responses from 5125 people above 24 from the years 1998-2002.

There was a strong overrepresentation of smokers in lower socioeconomic groups. Smoking intensity is higher in these groups, and they tend also to smoke more dangerous products than smokers from higher socioeconomic groups. The age at first cigarette is lower on average, and they are more likely to condone passive smoking. Fewer take steps to limit smoking in the home and tend more frequently than others to be misinformed about the health hazards of different types of tobacco.

The social gradient in current smoking behaviour poses a significant challenge to efforts to address health inequalities in the Norwegian population. Specifically tailored measures should be put in place for lower socioeconomic groups.