title: Persistent high rates of smoking among Israeli Arab males with concomitant decrease among Jews.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the last few decades much effort has been invested into lowering smoking rates due to its heavy burden on the population's health and on costs for the health care services.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare trends in smoking rates between adult Arab men and Jewish men and women during 2000-2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six random telephone surveys were conducted by the Israel Center for Disease Control in 2000-2008 to investigate smoking rates. The number of respondents was 24,976 Jewish men and women and 2564 Arab men. The percent of respondents reporting being current smokers was calculated for each population group (Jews and Arabs) by age, gender and education, and were studied in relation to time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among Jewish men aged 21-64 smoking declined during 2000-2008 by about 3.5%. In the 21-44 age group this decline occurred only among respondents with an academic education. Among Jewish women this decline also occurred at ages 21-64, and in the 45-64 age group this decline was due only to a decline in smoking among those with an academic education. Among Arab men aged 21-64 an increase in smoking rates of about 6.5% was observed among both educated and less educated respondents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking prevalence is declining in Israel among Jews, but not among Arab men. The larger decrease in smoking rates among academics will, in the future, add to the inequalities in health between the lower and higher socioeconomic status groups and between Arabs and Jews. This calls for tailored interventions among the less educated Jews and all Arab men.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. ornaepel@research.haifa.ac.il
authors.forename: Orna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Baron-Epel
authors.forename: Lital
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Keinan-Boker
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weinstein
authors.forename: Tamy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shohat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D007585:Jews / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult