[Socioeconomic profile and smoking among adolescents in vocational training]

Targeted interventions among vulnerable youth populations represent an important approach to the reduction of health inequalities. We must, however, ensure that impacts are not unequally distributed according to the range of resources available to them. We explore these concerns among youth in vocational training to be enrolled in a smoking cessation intervention by describing (1) their socio-economic profile and (2) the association between their socioeconomic characteristics, their smoking practices, and key factors that could be targeted in interventions.

A total of 234 young people aged 15-20 years were recruited in three centers in the Lorraine region in France in 2016-2017 as part of the Social Network and Tobacco Cessation (Réseau social et sevrage tabagique [RESIST]) study. We measured participants' socio-economic characteristics using their parents' education and occupational grade. We examined the associations of these characteristics with participants' smoking habits, intention to quit, nicotine dependence, presence of smokers in their network, and representation of a young smoker. We examined the associations between variables with bivariate tests depending on the nature of the variables.

Participants were more likely to be from a socio-professional background more modest than the national average (56% versus 33%), but still exhibited considerable socioeconomic variability. Smoking status did not vary significantly according to the educational level of the participants' parents (from 52% to 57%, P=0.78) or occupational grade (from 52% to 58%, P=0.35). Compared to participants whose parents had completed a professional or pre-university degree, participants with parents in the lowest education category were less likely to report not intending to quit (P=0.01) and more likely to report seriously considering to quit in the next six months (P=0.03) and to have already tried to quit but failed (P=0.01).

It is tempting to define youth in vocational training as a homogeneous group, especially when they share the same school environment, employment status, and income. Our results, however, highlight substantial variability in their socioeconomic profiles and smoking characteristics. Researchers are encouraged to further consider these equity issues to contribute to the reduction of health inequalities.