Effects of childhood socioeconomic circumstances on persistent smoking.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated whether socioeconomic circumstances at different life stages influence persistent smoking.


METHODS
We followed a British birth cohort (all births between March 3 and 9, 1958) for 41 years to examine the influence of childhood and adulthood socioeconomic position on persistent smoking in adulthood (n = 6541).


RESULTS
Persistent smoking (19% of participants, n = 1216) showed strong social gradients with both childhood and adulthood socioeconomic measures. Among men, the association with childhood socioeconomic circumstances was no longer significant after we adjusted for adulthood socioeconomic circumstances; however, among women, the adjusted odds of persistent smoking increased by 8% for each unit increase across a 16-point childhood score.


CONCLUSIONS
Childhood socioeconomic circumstances predicted persistent smoking among women in our cohort, a finding that highlights the importance of influences on the development of persistent smoking across the life course.
Jefferis
Barbara J M H
BJ
The Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London, England. b.jefferis@ich.ucl.ac.uk
Power
Chris
C
Graham
Hilary
H
Manor
Orly
O
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010290:Parents; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology