SS 16.00-17.30 Special sessions
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, ECONOMIC SATISFACTION AND SMOKING
- AUTHORS: A Haukkala, A Uutela, A McAlister*
- INSTITUTION: National Public Health Institute, Health Education Research Unit, Helsinki, Finland, A. McAlister University of Texas, Houston, USA*
Socio-economic status (SES) is clearly associated with onset of smoking but results regarding the existence of a similar gradient in smoking cessation have been inconsistent. This cross-sectional study examines the relation of how perceived economic satisfaction to SES and smoking. Subjects were a subsample (N=3403) of the FINMONICA risk-factor survey carried out in the spring of 1992 in four areas of Finland. Subjects aged 25-64 years, 55% female, responded to two questionnaires, and took part in a check-up. The response rate was 67%.
Economic satisfaction (Ca=.69) had a significant correlation (r=-.20, p<.001) with daily smoking. In stepwise regression analyses the association remained significant after adjustment for age, education, household income and depression for both genders (R2 =.07, p<.001). Among current smokers, the correlation of number of cigarettes smoked daily and economic satisfaction was negative (r=-.20, p<.001). Among current smokers belonging to the lowest economic satisfaction tertile only 25% believed that they are able to quit smoking compared to over 40% among those in the highest tertile (c2= 25.1, p<.001).
Results suggest that both SES and economic satisfaction can affect smoking independently. They indicate that economic satisfaction modifies the effect of SES on smoking. Self-efficacy in smoking cessation may be an important mediating variable for economic satisfaction and smoking.
Smoke Free Europe Conference Abstracts - 19 SEP 1996
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