This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Helasoja, V. V. Articles by Kasmel, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Helasoja, V. V. Articles by Kasmel, A. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Determinants of daily smoking in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland in 1994—2002

National Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Finland, vheh{at}ktl.fi

Eero Lahelma

Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland

Ritva S. Prättälä

National Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Finland

Kristna M. Patja

National Public Health Institute, Department of Epidemiology and Health Promotion, Finland

Jurate Klumbiene

Institute for Biomedical Research, Kaunas University of Medicine, Lithuania

Iveta Pudule

Health Promotion Centre, Latvia

Anu Kasmel

Institute for Health Promotion Research, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark

Aims: To investigate time trends in the smoking prevalence and the sociodemographic and psychosocial background of smoking in the Baltic countries in comparison with Finland during 1994—2002. Methods: Differences in daily smoking according to age, education, urbanization, and psychological distress in the Baltic countries and Finland were studied using postal surveys in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 among adults (20—64 years old) in Estonia (n=6,271), Latvia (n=6,106), Lithuania (n=9,824), and Finland (n=15,764). Results: In 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 the prevalence of smoking in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland was 47%, 54%, 46%, and 29% among men, and 21%, 19%, 11%, and 19% among women, respectively. Smoking increased among Lithuanian women from 6% in 1994 to 13% in 2002, but decreased among Estonian men and women. Smoking was generally more common among younger individuals, the less educated, and people with distress in all four countries. The odds ratios for smoking for those with low education compared with those with high education were 2.18 (1.69—2.81), 3.32 (2.55—4.31), 2.20 (1.79—2.70) and 2.80 (2.40—3.27) in men, and 1.90 (1.42—2.52). 3.09 (2.28—4.18), 0.86 (0.59—1.26), and 3.00 (2.53—3.55) in women, in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland, respectively. There were indications of increasing educational differences in Latvian men. Smoking was less common among rural women in all countries except Estonia. Conclusions: Estonia, Latvia, and Finland show characteristics of the ``mature'' phase of a smoking epidemic, and smoking may not increase in these countries. In Lithuanian women smoking may increase. Smoking may be increasingly unequally distributed in the future in all the studied countries.

Key Words: Baltic • distress • smoking • sociodemographic

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 34, No. 4, 353-362 (2006)
DOI: 10.1080/14034940500414766


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Vlasoff, T. Laatikainen, V. Korpelainen, M. Uhanov, S. Pokusajeva, A. Rogacheva, K. Tossavainen, E. Vartiainen, and P. Puska Ten year trends in chronic disease risk factors in the Republic of Karelia, Russia Eur J Public Health, December 1, 2008; 18(6): 666 - 673. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]