Socioeconomic status and tobacco expenditure among Australian households: results from the 1998-99 Household Expenditure Survey.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relation between socioeconomic status (SES) and tobacco expenditure among Australian households.


METHODS
Cross sectional study (The Household Expenditure Survey 1998-99) by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, based on a multi-stage national sample of 9682 households.


METHODS
From selected households, all members aged 15 and over were interviewed.


RESULTS
Lower SES was associated with higher odds of reporting tobacco expenditure. Among smoking households, those from lower SES spent more of their funds on tobacco. For example, households headed by a person with no educational qualification spent 34% more on tobacco than those headed by a person with a university degree. Blue collar households spent 23% more than professional households. Percentage of total household expenditure on tobacco in the first income quintile was 62% more than that of households in the fifth quintile.


CONCLUSIONS
Antismoking interventions and policies that are specifically aimed at lower SES groups can potentially improve social equality. They can also ameliorate social inequalities in health, given that much of the SES differentials in morbidity and mortality are attributed to the pronounced SES gradient in smoking.
VicHealth Centre for Tobacco Control, The Cancer Council Victoria, 1 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia. mohammad.siahpush@cancervic.org.au
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors