Smoking Accounts for Half of All Mortality in Males of Lower Social Class
Researchers from the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland and Australia have reported that there is an approximate two-fold difference in smoking-related deaths between men of the highest and lowest social strata between the ages of 35 and 69 years.[1] The details of this report appeared in the July 29, 2006, issue of The Lancet.
In Europe and North America smoking is estimated to cause one-third of all deaths in males between the ages of 35 and 69 years. In most countries smoking is more prevalent among lower classes than among the educated and affluent.
In the current study researchers looked at male mortality in England and Wales, the United States, Canada and Poland for 1996. The definition of social class differed somewhat between countries but primarily distinguished persons into three categories based on education, income and type of work. Smoking deaths were predominantly lung cancer but also included other smoking related malignant and non-malignant diseases. This analysis included over 500,000 male deaths. The results were expressed as annual death rate per 1000 men. The following were the main findings of this study for men between the ages of 35 and 69 years:
There was a two-fold higher death rate in the lowest social strata compared to the highest strata.
Smoking related deaths accounted for more than half of deaths making up this two- fold difference.
The probability of being killed by smoking was 5% in the highest social group versus 17% for the lowest social strata.
These authors concluded that widespread smoking cessation would eventually halve the absolute differences in death rate between the highest and lowest social strata.
An accompanying editorial pointed out that 26% of male deaths and 9% of female deaths can be attributed to smoking.[2] These and other data emphasize that smoking is linked to socioeconomic status. This author points out that that other factors related to socioeconomic status could contribute to excess deaths in this group of men. However, even if deaths from smoking are overestimated in this study smoking it is still a major killer.
Comments: This study puts real numbers on the impact that smoking has to early mortality in men and women smokers are suffering the same fate.
Related News
Risk of Lung Cancer Reduced in Men Who Quit Smoking (9/7/2004)
Smoking Reduction Reduces Lung Cancer Risk (9/29/2005)
References
[1] Jha PJ, Peto R, Zatonski W, et al. Social inequalities in male mortality, and in male mortality from smoking: indirect estimation from national death rates in England and Wales, Poland, and North America. The Lancet. 2006;368:367-370.
[2] Marmot M, Smoking and inequalities. The Lancet. 2006;368:341-342.
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