Abstract
There has been a dearth of literature on smoking inequalities, in spite of its contribution to health inequalities. We exploit Italian individual-level data from repeated cross-sections of the annual household survey, “Aspects of Daily Life,” that was part of the Multipurpose Survey carried out by the Italian National Statistical Office (ISTAT) for the period 1999–2012 to identify the main socio-demographic characteristics that determine smoking inequalities. We use the Concentration Index to identify in which groups smoking is relatively more prevalent. We find that, among men, pro-rich inequality is driven by members of the lower socio-economic positions, while we observe the opposite for women. We encourage policymakers to address the issue of smoking inequalities, which the current policies have largely disregarded.
Highlights
There exists a substantial literature showing that a healthier lifestyle is one of the key driving factors for good health (Contoyannis and Jones 2004; Balia and Jones 2008; Di Novi 2010, 2013)
Our paper shows that the problem of smoking inequality is present and relevant in Italy, that socio-economic status, gender and education are major explicators of it, and that policymakers should focus their objectives on overall smoking prevalence, and on reducing the consumption of tobacco within the lower socio-economic positions
The results presented in this paper show relevant differences between men and women in smoking inequalities
Summary
There exists a substantial literature showing that a healthier lifestyle is one of the key driving factors for good health (Contoyannis and Jones 2004; Balia and Jones 2008; Di Novi 2010, 2013). The new legislation made it illegal to smoke in cars that carried children or pregnant women, prohibited smoking outdoors near schools and hospitals, and required more stringent labeling and packaging of cigarettes The result of these policy efforts has seen a significant decline in smoking prevalence in Italy over time, suggesting that anti-smoking policies have been—at least partially—effective: in 1999 26.58% of adults aged 15 and older were active smokers compared with 23.18% in 2012 (Table 1). Our paper shows that the problem of smoking inequality is present and relevant in Italy, that socio-economic status, gender and education are major explicators of it, and that policymakers should focus their objectives on overall smoking prevalence, and on reducing the consumption of tobacco within the lower socio-economic positions
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