Europe, UK (Commonwealth Union) – A recent study conducted by UCL researchers suggests that smoking among women under 45 from more privileged social backgrounds in England has seen an uptick over the past decade.
The researchers honed in on women aged between 18 and 45, recognizing these years as particularly critical for pregnancy and acknowledging the heightened risks associated with smoking tobacco during this stage.
This trend starkly contrasts with their less advantaged counterparts of the same age group, whose overall smoking rates declined steadily from 29% to 22% over the same period. Despite an overall decrease in smoking among adults over the span of 10 years, this decline plateaued during the pandemic.
Examining survey data from 197,266 adults in England spanning from 2013 to 2023, the study sheds light on shifting patterns in smoking behaviors among different demographic groups.
Dr. Sarah Jackson, the lead author from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, expressed concern over the apparent rise in smoking among women under 45 from more privileged social backgrounds in England and it was not observed among all adults or men of the same age.
“Reducing smoking is especially important among women in this age group as smoking reduces fertility and increases the chances of complications during pregnancy, miscarriage and poor infant health.”
Respondents in the survey were categorized as more advantaged if they resided in households where the primary earners held professional, managerial, or clerical positions (ABC1). Conversely, those considered less advantaged were from households where the primary earners were engaged in manual, semi-skilled, unskilled labor, or were unemployed (C2DE).
Additionally, the researchers observed a rise over a decade in the prevalence of smokers primarily opting for hand-rolled cigarettes, increasing from 42% to 54%. This increase was particularly pronounced among women aged 18 to 45, escalating from 41% to 61%, while men in the same age group exhibited a comparatively smaller rise, from 49% to 62%.
