Smoking-attributable mortality in the autonomous communities of Spain, 2017

To estimate smoking-attributable mortality (SAM) in the regions of Spain among people aged ≥ 35 years in 2017.

SAM was estimated using a prevalence dependent method based calculating the population attributable fraction. Observed mortality was derived from the National Statistics Institute. The prevalence of smoking by age and sex was based on the Spanish National Health Survey for 2011 and 2017 and the European Survey for 2014. Relative risks were reported from the follow-up of 5 North American cohorts. SAM and population attributable fraction were estimated for each region by age group, sex, and causes of death. Cause-specific and adjusted SAM rates were estimated.

Smoking caused 53 825 deaths in the population aged ≥ 35 years (12.9% of all-cause mortality). SAM ranged from 10.8% of observed mortality in La Rioja to 15.3% in the Canary Islands. The differences remained after rates were adjusted by age. The highest adjusted SAM rates were observed in Extremadura in men and in the Canary Islands in women. Adjusted SAM rates in men were inversely correlated with those in women. The percentage of total SAM represented by cardiovascular diseases in each region ranged from 21.8% in Castile-La Mancha to 30.3% in Andalusia.

The distribution of SAM differed among regions. Conducting a detailed region-by-region analysis provides relevant information for health policies aiming to curb the impact of smoking.