Trends in socio-economic differentials in cigarette smoking behaviour between 1990 and 1998: a large prospective study in Korean men.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the magnitude and time trends in socio-economic differentials in cigarette smoking behaviour.


METHODS
A prospective observational study of male civil servants followed-up for 8 years.


METHODS
All civil service offices in Korea.


METHODS
A total of 322,991 male civil servants aged 30-49 years on whom information on monthly salary was available and who had reported cigarette smoking behaviour between 1990 and 1998.


RESULTS
Smoking prevalence was 60.1% in 1990 and was inversely associated with salary level. The difference in smoking prevalence between the highest and the lowest salary groups gradually widened from 13.0% in 1990 to 16.1% in 1998. The relative index of inequality (RII) as a measure of socio-economic inequality in smoking behaviour was 1.91 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.86-1.97] in 1990 and increased between 1990 and 1998. The RII for smoking cessation was 0.60 in 1990 (95% CI 0.58-0.62) and gradually decreased as time lapsed.


CONCLUSIONS
An increasing trend in socio-economic inequality in smoking behaviour was observed in this study.
Cho
H J
HJ
Department of Family Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Song
Y M
YM
Smith
G Davey
GD
Ebrahim
S
S
D000328:Adult; D006077:Government Agencies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors