by Eric Gershon
Differences in educational attainment among active adult smokers mainly reflect characteristics in the years before smoking began, according to a new Yale University study. Credit: Shutterstock
(Medical Xpress)—Reducing the number of adult smokers in America may require intervening earlier in life and school than previously thought—probably between the ages of 12 and 17—according to new research.
The links between educational attainment and smoking are well documented. The more formal schooling individuals have, the less likely they are to be smokers; the less schooling, the more likely.
But a new study by Yale University sociologist Vida Maralani shows that the total number of years in school or advanced degrees earned may not be the most influential factors. That's because most smokers start smoking before their education is complete.
"Even though we see the largest inequalities in smoking between people who have a college degree and those who don't, it's not college that accounts for it," said Maralani, whose research focuses on the relationships between education and health. "When we see adults smoking, we have to think about their adolescence. Taking up smoking usually happens in the late teenage years—almost no one starts to smoke after age 20. In trying to understand why people with different amounts of education have such different smoking patterns at age 30, it's important to remember that someone who is a smoker at age 30 has been smoking for a long time."
In the study, Maralani shows that the large and persistent inequalities in smoking by amount of formal education primarily derive not from educational disparities between smokers and former smokers (quitters), but rather from disparities among people who never take up smoking in the first place (initiation).
That is, the differences in educational attainment among active adult smokers mainly reflect characteristics in the years before smoking began—in most cases, between the ages of 12 and 17.
Most studies of the relationship between education and smoking focus on people who quit smoking, and largely ignore people who never smoke. Maralani's study suggests that the overwhelming focus on differences in quitting by education is not necessarily the only, or best, perspective for analyzing the problem.
"This work explicitly shows the relative contribution of quitting versus never smoking regularly to educational disparities among current smokers and how this has changed over time in America," she said. "It shows that we should be trying to figure out why it is that people who go on to get a college degree in their 20s don't ever start smoking in the first place during their teens. You have to think about education early in life."
Maralani's conclusions are based on a massive statistical analysis of data on nearly 600,000 individuals gathered over six decades through federal surveys.
The study, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine earlier this year, is titled "Educational inequalities in smoking: The role of initiation versus quitting."
Explore further: Can't sleep? Quit smoking
More information: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953613000282
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© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Phys.org network
by Eric Gershon
Differences in educational attainment among active adult smokers mainly reflect characteristics in the years before smoking began, according to a new Yale University study. Credit: Shutterstock
(Medical Xpress)—Reducing the number of adult smokers in America may require intervening earlier in life and school than previously thought—probably between the ages of 12 and 17—according to new research.
The links between educational attainment and smoking are well documented. The more formal schooling individuals have, the less likely they are to be smokers; the less schooling, the more likely.
But a new study by Yale University sociologist Vida Maralani shows that the total number of years in school or advanced degrees earned may not be the most influential factors. That's because most smokers start smoking before their education is complete.
"Even though we see the largest inequalities in smoking between people who have a college degree and those who don't, it's not college that accounts for it," said Maralani, whose research focuses on the relationships between education and health. "When we see adults smoking, we have to think about their adolescence. Taking up smoking usually happens in the late teenage years—almost no one starts to smoke after age 20. In trying to understand why people with different amounts of education have such different smoking patterns at age 30, it's important to remember that someone who is a smoker at age 30 has been smoking for a long time."
In the study, Maralani shows that the large and persistent inequalities in smoking by amount of formal education primarily derive not from educational disparities between smokers and former smokers (quitters), but rather from disparities among people who never take up smoking in the first place (initiation).
That is, the differences in educational attainment among active adult smokers mainly reflect characteristics in the years before smoking began—in most cases, between the ages of 12 and 17.
Most studies of the relationship between education and smoking focus on people who quit smoking, and largely ignore people who never smoke. Maralani's study suggests that the overwhelming focus on differences in quitting by education is not necessarily the only, or best, perspective for analyzing the problem.
"This work explicitly shows the relative contribution of quitting versus never smoking regularly to educational disparities among current smokers and how this has changed over time in America," she said. "It shows that we should be trying to figure out why it is that people who go on to get a college degree in their 20s don't ever start smoking in the first place during their teens. You have to think about education early in life."
Maralani's conclusions are based on a massive statistical analysis of data on nearly 600,000 individuals gathered over six decades through federal surveys.
The study, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine earlier this year, is titled "Educational inequalities in smoking: The role of initiation versus quitting."
Explore further: Can't sleep? Quit smoking
More information: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953613000282
Medical Xpress on facebook
Related Stories
Can't sleep? Quit smoking
Sep 20, 2013
As the NHS prepares to launch Stoptober 2013, new research published in Psychology, Health & Medicine has found another reason to quit smoking - giving up smoking improves sleep. Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death ...
Why do young adults start smoking?
Sep 17, 2013
The risk of becoming a smoker among young adults who have never smoked is high: 14% will become smokers between the ages of 18 and 24, and three factors predict this behaviour.
Quitting smoking drops heart attack risk to levels of never smokers
Sep 01, 2013
Quitting smoking reduces the risk of heart attack and death to the levels of people who have never smoked, reveals research presented at ESC Congress 2013 by Dr. James K. Min and Dr. Rine Nakanishi from the USA.
Smokers who survive to 70 still lose 4 years of life
Sep 01, 2013
Smokers who survive to 70 still lose an average of four years of life, according to findings from the Whitehall study presented at ESC Congress 2013 today by Dr. Jonathan Emberson from the UK.
Varenicline helps smokers with depression to quit smoking
Sep 16, 2013
About half of smokers seeking treatment for smoking cessation have a history of depression. Compared with smokers who are not depressed, those who suffer from a major depressive disorder (MDD) have greater difficulty quitting.
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Hospital trusts fall short of recommended standards on post mortem consent
13 hours ago
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Boomers' embrace of devices gives rise to new med-tech age
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Jay Alva's sneakers pounded the treadmill, set to the speed of a brisk walk. Sweat dripped off the 53-year-old as he hit a groove during a recent workout.
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At 60, Marty Wichter of Arlington, Texas, found himself in constant digestive distress and at a loss for what to do.
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User comments
© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Phys.org network
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