Patterns of Smoking Prevalence among the Elderly in Europe

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Alessandra Lugo²  Carlo La Vecchia²  Stefania Boccia¹  Bojana Murisic² 

[1] Section of Hygiene, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy;Department of Epidemiology, IRCCS – Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, 20156 Milan, Italy; E-Mails:

关键词: smoking prevalence;    vulnerable population;    elderly;    cross-sectional study;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph10094418

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Scant information is available on determinants of smoking prevalence in the vulnerable population of the elderly, particularly in Europe. Therefore, we analyzed smoking patterns among older adults (≥65 years old), using data from a representative survey based on 3,071 elderly, conducted in 17 European countries in 2010, within the Pricing Policies And Control of Tobacco in Europe (PPACTE) project. Overall smoking prevalence in 17 European countries was 11.5% (15.3% in men and 8.6% in women). An inverse relation with level of education was observed among men, while no specific pattern was evident among women. Smoking prevalence was highest in eastern/central Europe for men (20.3%) and northern Europe for women (13.1%). In both sexes combined, smokers were more frequent in countries with low implementation of tobacco control activities (14.9%). Anti-tobacco campaigns and smoking cessation interventions specifically targeted to the elderly are urgently needed in Europe.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.