Table 2.
Age at start smoking, number of cigarettes smoked daily and pack-years smoked at 30 year in 2854 current smokers retrieved in GEIRD cross-sectional survey, as a function of sex, age, education level, occupation, site of residence and climatic region
| No. of smokers | Age at start smoking | Cigarettes/day | Pack-years smoked at 30 a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | p = 0.111b | p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | |
| Men | 1600 | 17.3 ± 3.7 (17, 15–18) | 13.8 ± 10.7 (10, 8–20) | 9.7 ± 8.3 (8.3, 4.5-13) |
| Women | 1253 | 17.5 ± 3.8 (17, 15–19) | 11.1 ± 6.7 (10, 6–15) | 7.7 ± 5.5 (6.5, 3.8-10.5) |
| Age | p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | p = 0.009 | |
| 20-29 years | 872 | 16.6 ± 2.5 (16, 15–18) | 10.4 ± 6.5 (10, 5–15) | ----- |
| 30-39 years | 1193 | 17.6 ± 3.7 (17, 15–19) | 13.1 ± 7.8 (10, 8–20) | 8.5 ± 7.6 (7.5, 4–11.3) |
| 40-47 years | 782 | 17.9 ± 4.7 (17, 15–20) | 14.1 ± 8.7 (13, 8–20) | 9.3 ± 6.7 (7.8, 4.2-13) |
| Education | p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | |
| Primary school | 45 | 16.0 ± 4.3 (15.5, 14–18) | 17.1 ± 11.4 (15, 10–20) | 12.8 ± 10.3 (10.5,5.5-17) |
| Lower secondary | 757 | 16.5 ± 3.3 (16, 15–18) | 15.8 ± 10.6 (15, 10–20) | 11.2 ± 8.8 (10, 6–15) |
| Upper secondary | 1493 | 17.5 ± 3.6 (17, 15–19) | 11.6 ± 8.6 (10, 6–20) | 8.0 ± 6.4 (7, 3.6-11.3) |
| Degree | 544 | 18.3 ± 4.2 (18, 16–20) | 10.2 ± 6.7 (10, 5–15) | 6.6 ± 4.9 (5.6, 3–9.6) |
| Occupation | p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | p < 0.001 | |
| Clerk | 899 | 17.9 ± 4.1 (17, 15–19) | 11.2 ± 7.1 (10, 5–15) | 7.4 ± 5.4 (6, 3–10.5) |
| Housewife | 183 | 17.4 ± 4.1 (17, 15–19) | 12.9 ± 7.4 (12, 10–15) | 8.8 ± 6.3 (7.1, 4.9-12) |
| Manager | 34 | 17.8 ± 5.0 (17, 15–20) | 11.6 ± 7.9 (10, 8–15) | 8.4 ± 7.6 (6, 4.5-8) |
| Businessman | 116 | 17.8 ± 3.4 (17, 15–20) | 14.4 ± 8.7 (15, 9–20) | 9.1 ± 6.3 (8.4, 5–12) |
| Free-lancer | 377 | 18.0 ± 4.0 (17, 16–20) | 11.9 ± 7.0 (10, 6–15) | 7.7 ± 5.4 (7, 3.5-11.3) |
| Workman | 573 | 16.8 ± 3.2 (16, 15–18) | 15.5 ± 13.8 (15, 10–20) | 10.9 ± 10.2 (9, 5.9-14) |
| Unemployed | 260 | 16.9 ± 3.6 (16, 15–18) | 14.4 ± 8.7 (12, 10–20) | 10.8 ± 8.3 (9, 5–14) |
| Student | 283 | 16.7 ± 2.4 (17, 15–18) | 8.8 ± 5.1 (10, 5–10) | 7.5 ± 4.5 (8.1, 3.5-11.3) |
| Retired | 9 | 14.7 ± 3.1 (15, 13–15) | 18.0 ± 7.9 (18, 14–25) | 14.2 ± 8.7(13.1,7.4-19.4) |
| Other job | 107 | 16.7 ± 3.7 (16, 15–18) | 13.2 ± 8.1 (10, 8–20) | 9.8 ± 6.8 (8.1, 5–12.8) |
| Site of residencec | p =0.238 | p = 0.089 | p = 0.055 | |
| Downtown | 978 | 17.5 ± 3.8 (17, 15–19) | 12.5 ± 10.0 (10, 7–18) | 8.8 ± 8.4 (7.5, 3.9-12) |
| Suburbs | 1103 | 17.4 ± 3.8 (17, 15–19) | 12.7 ± 9.6 (10, 7–18) | 8.9 ± 7.0 (7.5, 4–12) |
| Countryside | 272 | 17.4 ± 4.1 (16, 15–18) | 13.4 ± 7.8 (11, 8–20) | 9.6 ± 6.3 (8, 5–14) |
| Geographic area | p =0.474 | p =0.241 | p =0.697 | |
| Northern Italy | 999 | 17.3 ± 3.6 (17, 15–19) | 12.7 ± 9.8 (10, 7–16) | 8.8 ± 6.6 (7, 3.9-12) |
| Central-Southern | 1855 | 17.5 ± 3.9 (17, 15–19) | 12.3 ± 7.9 (10, 6–17) | 8.8 ± 7.7 (7.5, 4.2-12) |
Data are expressed as mean ± SD (median, interquartile range).
a: Pack-years smoked by 30 yrs were computed by multiplying the average daily consumption of 20-cigarette packs by years from age at starting smoking to 30, in current smokers aged 30 years or more.
b: P values were computed by Wilcoxon Mann–Whitney rank-sum test or by Kruskal-Wallis rank test.
c: the Ancona sample (n = 1866) was not asked about their site of residence.