Secular trends in underreporting of cigarette consumption

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Tobacco Control

Background:

• Understanding national smoking trends is crucial for public health interventions.
• Accurate data on cigarette consumption is essential for policy-making and evaluating tobacco control measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the trend in per capita cigarette consumption in New Zealand from 1976 to 1981.
• To evaluate the reliability of self-reported smoking data from national censuses by comparing it with sales data.
• To determine the extent of underreporting of cigarette use in census data and its consistency over time.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from two consecutive national censuses (1976 and 1981) on cigarette smoking habits of New Zealanders aged 15 and over.
• Compared self-reported per capita cigarette consumption from census data with national cigarette sales data for the same periods.
• Analyzed the degree of underreporting in census data and its changes between 1976 and 1981.

Main Results:

• Self-reported per capita cigarette consumption declined by 9.4% between 1976 and 1981.
• Significant underreporting of cigarette use was observed in both censuses (28% in 1976, 30% in 1981).
• The estimated decline in per capita consumption based on sales data (8.6%) closely mirrored the census-based estimate, indicating consistent underreporting.

Conclusions:

• Trends in self-reported cigarette consumption from national censuses are a reliable indicator of national smoking trends.
• Despite underreporting, census data provides a valid measure for tracking changes in cigarette smoking habits over time.
• Findings support the continued use of self-reported data in national surveys for monitoring tobacco use patterns.