Abstract
Objective: To examine patterns of ever smoking among Finnish adults by gender and birth cohort from 1978 to 2001, with special emphasis on the possible effects of the 1976 Tobacco Control Act (TCA).
Methods: The data were derived from independent, annual cross sectional postal surveys among 15–64 year olds (n = 91 342), average response rate 75%. For the analyses 13 five year birth cohorts from 1916 to 1980 were constructed. Birth cohort variations in ever regular smoking were first examined graphically, and then logistic models were used to test the impact of the TCA.
Results: Among men there was a decrease in smoking from older to younger cohorts. For women an increase in smoking was observed between successive cohorts. A clear decline in the prevalence of ever smokers concurrent with the TCA was found among both men and women.
Conclusions: The smoking behaviour trends across successive birth cohorts suggest the impact of tobacco policy in decreasing smoking initiation in youth. These findings thus support the acceptability and effectiveness of antismoking and smoke free policy measures in society.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (201.7 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Birkett N. J. Trends in smoking by birth cohort for births between 1940 and 1975: a reconstructed cohort analysis of the 1990 Ontario Health Survey. Prev Med. 1997 Jul-Aug;26(4):534–541. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1997.0169. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brenner H. A birth cohort analysis of the smoking epidemic in West Germany. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1993 Feb;47(1):54–58. doi: 10.1136/jech.47.1.54. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Doll R., Peto R., Wheatley K., Gray R., Sutherland I. Mortality in relation to smoking: 40 years' observations on male British doctors. BMJ. 1994 Oct 8;309(6959):901–911. doi: 10.1136/bmj.309.6959.901. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fernandez E., Schiaffino A., Borràs J. M., Shafey O., Villalbí J. R., La Vecchia C. Prevalence of cigarette smoking by birth cohort among males and females in Spain, 1910-1990. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2003 Feb;12(1):57–62. doi: 10.1097/00008469-200302000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Harris J. E. Cigarette smoking among successive birth cohorts of men and women in the United States during 1900-80. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1983 Sep;71(3):473–479. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hill A., Roberts J., Ewings P., Gunnell D. Non-response bias in a lifestyle survey. J Public Health Med. 1997 Jun;19(2):203–207. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.pubmed.a024610. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kemm J. R. A birth cohort analysis of smoking by adults in Great Britain 1974-1998. J Public Health Med. 2001 Dec;23(4):306–311. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/23.4.306. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Laaksonen M., Uutela A., Vartiainen E., Jousilahti P., Helakorpi S., Puska P. Development of smoking by birth cohort in the adult population in eastern Finland 1972-97. Tob Control. 1999 Summer;8(2):161–168. doi: 10.1136/tc.8.2.161. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pekurinen M., Valtonen H. Price, policy and consumption of tobacco: the Finnish experience. Soc Sci Med. 1987;25(8):875–881. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(87)90256-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Phillips A. N., Wannamethee S. G., Walker M., Thomson A., Smith G. D. Life expectancy in men who have never smoked and those who have smoked continuously: 15 year follow up of large cohort of middle aged British men. BMJ. 1996 Oct 12;313(7062):907–908. doi: 10.1136/bmj.313.7062.907. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pierce J. P. International comparisons of trends in cigarette smoking prevalence. Am J Public Health. 1989 Feb;79(2):152–157. doi: 10.2105/ajph.79.2.152. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rahkonen O., Berg M. A., Puska P. The development of smoking in Finland from 1978 to 1990. Br J Addict. 1992 Jan;87(1):103–110. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1992.tb01905.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Townsend J., Roderick P., Cooper J. Cigarette smoking by socioeconomic group, sex, and age: effects of price, income, and health publicity. BMJ. 1994 Oct 8;309(6959):923–927. doi: 10.1136/bmj.309.6959.923. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Van Loon A. Jeanne M., Tijhuis Marja, Picavet H. Susan J., Surtees Paul G., Ormel Johan. Survey non-response in the Netherlands: effects on prevalence estimates and associations. Ann Epidemiol. 2003 Feb;13(2):105–110. doi: 10.1016/s1047-2797(02)00257-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vartiainen E., Jousilahti P., Alfthan G., Sundvall J., Pietinen P., Puska P. Cardiovascular risk factor changes in Finland, 1972-1997. Int J Epidemiol. 2000 Feb;29(1):49–56. doi: 10.1093/ije/29.1.49. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vartiainen E., Seppälä T., Lillsunde P., Puska P. Validation of self reported smoking by serum cotinine measurement in a community-based study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2002 Mar;56(3):167–170. doi: 10.1136/jech.56.3.167. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]