The relationship between the socio-economic gradient and cigarette consumption in Spain

The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between individual socioeconomic characteristics and cigarette consumption in Spain. The sample consisted of 19,931 individuals aged 15 or older who completed the European Health Interview Survey for Spain (EHSS-2014). Variables: prevalence and intensity of cigarette consumption. Multivariate ordered logistic regression analysis was performed with the following socioeconomic variables: social classes, educational attainment, main activity, economic situation and, for the working population, the activity sector. Other control variables were sociodemographic variables and healthy lifestyle habits (physical exercise, diet and alcohol consumption). The factors that relate to greater prevalence are: lower social class, not having university studies, being unemployed, having worse economic situation and working in hospitality industry. On the other hand, the variables related to higher intensity of cigarette consumption of the smoking population are: lower social class, not having university studies, and being neither a student nor on a permanent contract. Regarding control variables, those regressors associated with a higher prevalence and intensity of cigarette consumption are: being male, being aged between 36 and 65, being divorced, having fewer children at home and having worse lifestyle habits.