title: Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking habits are still increasing in Italy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Socioeconomic inequalities in smoking habits have stabilized in many Western countries. This study aimed at evaluating whether socioeconomic disparities in smoking habits are still enlarging in Italy and at comparing the impact of education and occupation.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the frame of the GEIRD study (Gene Environment Interactions in Respiratory Diseases) 10,494 subjects, randomly selected from the general population aged 20-44 years in seven Italian centres, answered a screening questionnaire between 2007 and 2010 (response percentage = 57.2%). In four centres a repeated cross-sectional survey was performed: smoking prevalence recorded in GEIRD was compared with prevalence recorded between 1998 and 2000 in the Italian Study of Asthma in Young Adults (ISAYA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Current smoking was twice as prevalent in people with a primary/secondary school certificate (40-43%) compared with people with an academic degree (20%), and among unemployed and workmen (39%) compared with managers and clerks (20-22%). In multivariable analysis smoking habits were more affected by education level than by occupation. From the first to the second survey the prevalence of ever smokers markedly decreased among housewives, managers, businessmen and free-lancers, while ever smoking became even more common among unemployed (time-occupation interaction: p = 0.047). At variance, the increasing trend in smoking cessation was not modified by occupation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking prevalence has declined in Italy during the last decade among the higher socioeconomic classes, but not among the lower. This enlarging socioeconomic inequality mainly reflects a different trend in smoking initiation.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. giuseppe.verlato@univr.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Verlato
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Accordini
authors.forename: Giang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Pierpaolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cazzoletti
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antonicelli
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Attena
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bellisario
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bono
authors.forename: Lamberto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Briziarelli
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casali
authors.forename: Angelo Guido
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Corsico
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fois
authors.forename: MariaGrazia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Panico
authors.forename: Pavilio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piccioni
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirina
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Villani
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicolini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Marco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000639:trends; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires