Urban-rural disparities in smoking behaviour in Germany

Abstract

Background: It is currently not clear whether individuals living in metropolitan areas differ from individuals living in rural and urban areas with respect to smoking behaviours. Therefore, we sought to explore the relation between residential area and smoking behaviours in Germany.

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of daily cigarette smoking in Poland: Results from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2009–2010)

“…The residents IJOMEH 2012;25(2) 133 traditionally involved in raising children and occupied with household keeping than those living in large cities. Higher smoking prevalence in urban compared to nonurban areas was similarly found in other previously published studies from developed countries [12,[21][22][23].…”

The contribution of smoking to regional mortality differences in the Netherlands

“…Regional differences in urbanicity are likely contributors, since urban areas tend to have higher lung cancer mortality and higher smoking prevalence than rural areas (e.g., Kunst, Looman, and Mackenbach 1993;Völzke et al 2006;Zwakhals, Giesbers, and Deuning 2010). The higher smoking-attributable mortality among Dutch women that was observed in some of the regions in the west might be due to the consistently higher urbanicity levels in the Randstad, the urban agglomeration in the west of the Netherlands.…”

Smoking prevalence in urban and rural populations: findings from California between 2001 and 2012

“…One possible explanation is suggested by findings indicating,that the 2008 financial crisis had a noticeable effect on the increase of smoking rates in the US (19). It may be that the recession led to migration and/or increased levels of stress, both of which have been associated with variations in smoking prevalence (4,5,7,20). Although the population proportions of each geographic area remain relatively stable over time as shown in Table 1, it is possible that similar proportions of residents with different smoking status migrated between Urban and Second-City areas.…”

“…Factors associated with higher smoking prevalence in rural populations include disparities in tobacco control programs and resources, adoption of smoke-free policies, sociodemographic characteristics such as lower income and educational attainment, lower health insurance coverage and reduced access to treatment services, and targeted marketing by the tobacco industry (3,10,(21)(22)(23)(24). Higher smoking rates in urban areas have been attributed to higher levels of stress from living in urban areas (4,5,7,20). Other sources of stress may also lead to increased smoking rates.…”

“…A survey of German residents aged 10 years or older showed that small city and metropolitan residents exhibited higher odds of being current or former smokers than those living in rural communities (7). Data from Russia among adults (≥18 years old) showed that both men and women living in urban areas smoked more often than those living in rural areas (8).…”