Background to the Research

• This report represents the first examination of the prevalence of smoking and drinking behaviour by gender, socio-economic status and age amongst 7 pseudo birth cohorts across Northern Ireland.
• The lack of previous research in this area was partly due to a lack of available longitudinal data. This study, which was commissioned by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to address this gap.
• This study builds upon a similar study previously conducted by the authors in Britain.
  

Research Approach

• The data were drawn from the CHS, a cross-sectional survey, which has been conducted annually since 1984, on individuals living in private households.
• CHS Data for the years 1986-2002 as well as mortality rates was selected and used to construct 7 pseudo-birth cohorts for the years ranging from 1911 to 1980.
• Cohort specific death rates are presented for the most common alcohol and smoking related diseases.
  

Main Findings

Smoking

• Data from 2002 showed that the prevalence of smoking has declined substantially since 1986 amongst people over 16 years of age.
• The percentage of men who smoked decreased from 35% to 27% and from 32% to 26% for females.
• Quitting smoking is influenced by age, as a greater number of people from older age groups declared themselves to be ex-smokers than younger individuals.
• Higher numbers of females than males, particularly in older groups, have never smoked.
• Whilst males are more likely to smoke, particularly within younger cohorts, they are also more likely to quit than females. The improvement in mortality rates from smoking related diseases amongst male ex-smokers is also greater than for females.
• This significant difference must be addressed by agencies seeking to reduce the number of lung cancer related deaths.
• Socio-economic status also correlated with the prevalence of cigarette smoking. In 2002, 33% of men in semi-manual occupations smoked, just over twice the number of their as professional counterparts (17%).
• However, a striking trend has emerged amongst females in semi-skilled (35%) or unskilled manual (33%) positions, making them three times as likely to smoke as professional women (11%).
• In 2002, the highest levels of smoking were recorded for female manual workers.
• The authors concluded that between socio-economic groups, there has been an increase in the inequalities in smoking behaviour within birth cohorts with rising age and also between birth cohorts of any chronological age.
• Health promotion campaigns must focus on targeting young women, particularly those working in manual occupations.

Drinking

• The percentage of women and men who currently drink alcohol increased significantly between 1986 and 2002.
• There was an eight percent increase amongst men (73% to 81%) and a 14% increase amongst females (59% to 73%), which has also significantly reduced the 1986 gender gap.
• A significantly higher number of women, especially amongst older cohorts, reported never having drunk alcohol in 2002.
• Alcohol consumption is more prevalent amongst successive birth cohorts at the same age, particularly amongst women.
• The authors argue that the powerful change in women's drinking habits may have an impact upon their future health.
• As with smoking behaviour, alcohol consumption varies amongst socio-economic groups.
• However, the highest levels of consumption in 2002 were reported by professional men and women and lowest by skilled manual female employees.
• Lifetime abstinence is most common amongst females from a manual background.
• Whilst alcohol consumption has increased amongst both genders within all socio-economic groups, females from non-manual backgrounds now consume similar levels of alcohol as men from manual backgrounds.
• Once again, there has been an increase in drinking amongst successive birth cohorts within each socio-economic group, and this increase is most marked amongst women.
• Whilst there has been a narrowing in inequalities between successive cohorts of manual and non-manual groups, no significant differences in current drinking habits by socio-economic groups emerged amongst males born between 1961-1971 and 1971-1981.
• However, socio-economic differences continued amongst younger female cohorts.