The Influence of Parity and Smoking in the Social Environment on Tobacco Consumption among Daily Smoking Women in Denmark

Abstract

The aim of this paper isto determine factors associated with higher tobacco consumption in a large cohort of daily smoking Danish women 27–39 years of age with a main focus on the smoking habits of people in the women’s social environment and parity. A cohort of 12,023 Danish women was examined in a cross-sectional study design with a mailed questionnaire. Among the 3,672 daily smokers, 2,365 (64.4%) smoked more than 15 cigarettes per day. Smokers in the childhood home, living alone or cohabiting with a smoking partner, friends smoking, and colleagues smoking were associated with higher tobacco consumption, while short duration of smoking was associated with lower tobacco consumption. Anti-smoking programs should focus on the social network of the women. Furthermore, there is a need to target mothers who smoke, especially less educated mothers.