CONFERENCE PROCEEDING
Smoking and social inequalities in France: 20 years of evolution
1
Santé Publique France, the French National Public Health Agency, France
Tob. Prev. Cessation 2026;12(Supplement 1):A98
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND-AIM:
Since the early 2000s, the prevalence of smoking has declined overall in France. This study aims to describe the evolution of social inequalities in smoking in relation to anti-smoking policy between 2000 and 2021.
METHODS:
The data comes from Santé publique France’s Health Barometers, cross-sectional telephone surveys which are conducted on random samples of the French population aged 18–75 (between 9074 and 28224 people were surveyed depending on the edition). Changes in prevalence according to socioeconomic status (level of education, income and employment status) were modeled using Poisson regression.
RESULTS:
Overall, social inequalities related to smoking increased during the period under review, with smoking prevalence rising among individuals with lower levels of education, lower incomes or who were unemployed, while declining among more socioeconomically advantaged groups. The analysis reveals three distinct phases: an increase in inequalities between 2000 and 2016, a stabilization of disparities between 2016 and 2019, followed by a resumption of the increase in inequalities related to education and income between 2019 and 2021.
CONCLUSIONS:
Between 2016 and 2019, a period marked by reinforced anti-smoking efforts and the implementation of numerous effective measures in national programs that addressed social inequalities, differences in smoking prevalence according to socioeconomic status have stabilised, bringing an end to 16 years of increase. Although the more severe consequences of the subsequent pandemic (Covid-19) have interrupted this progress, this study shows that an increase in social inequalities related to smoking is evitable. When measures are implemented with this goal in mind, inequalities can be contained, as was observed in France between 2016 and 2019, with smoking declining among disadvantaged populations.
Since the early 2000s, the prevalence of smoking has declined overall in France. This study aims to describe the evolution of social inequalities in smoking in relation to anti-smoking policy between 2000 and 2021.
METHODS:
The data comes from Santé publique France’s Health Barometers, cross-sectional telephone surveys which are conducted on random samples of the French population aged 18–75 (between 9074 and 28224 people were surveyed depending on the edition). Changes in prevalence according to socioeconomic status (level of education, income and employment status) were modeled using Poisson regression.
RESULTS:
Overall, social inequalities related to smoking increased during the period under review, with smoking prevalence rising among individuals with lower levels of education, lower incomes or who were unemployed, while declining among more socioeconomically advantaged groups. The analysis reveals three distinct phases: an increase in inequalities between 2000 and 2016, a stabilization of disparities between 2016 and 2019, followed by a resumption of the increase in inequalities related to education and income between 2019 and 2021.
CONCLUSIONS:
Between 2016 and 2019, a period marked by reinforced anti-smoking efforts and the implementation of numerous effective measures in national programs that addressed social inequalities, differences in smoking prevalence according to socioeconomic status have stabilised, bringing an end to 16 years of increase. Although the more severe consequences of the subsequent pandemic (Covid-19) have interrupted this progress, this study shows that an increase in social inequalities related to smoking is evitable. When measures are implemented with this goal in mind, inequalities can be contained, as was observed in France between 2016 and 2019, with smoking declining among disadvantaged populations.
| eISSN: | 2459-3087 |
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