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Smoking trends in the United States between 1969 and 1995 based on patients hospitalized with non-smoking-related
1Department of Biostatistics, Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, East Hanover, NJ 07936-1080, USA. edith.zang@pharma.novartis.com
Background:
This study examines smoking trends in the United States by race, gender, education, and occupation.
Methods:
The data were collected between 1969 and 1995 through a hospital-based case-control study on tobacco-related cancers, including 21,057 male and 14,448 female control subjects who had been diagnosed of non-smoking-related diseases. Smoking measures were adjusted through direct standardization and regression methods.
Results:
Despite the decline in smoking, daily cigarette consumption remained high among current smokers. Women's smoking prevalence decreased more slowly than men's and their age at smoking initiation also declined, while the inverse effects on smoking by education and occupation were more pronounced in men than in women. Smoking prevalence was higher, but daily cigarette consumption was lower in blacks compared to caucasians.
Conclusions:
Despite an overall downward trend in smoking, lung cancer remains a major public health concern, particularly among women, blacks, and white men with low education. The development of a systematic mechanism for more detailed, regular monitoring of tobacco use by various subpopulations is, therefore, crucial to future public health planning.