The Prevalence and socioeconomic Inequalities in Tobacco Smoking in Women Aged ۱۵-۵۴ in Iran

Significant evidence suggests an inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and tobacco smoking, where inequality is visible among different social and economic strata. This study is a cross-sectional study. Sampling in this study was a randomized clustered multistage sampling with equal clusters. A total of ۳۵,۳۰۵ women aged ۱۵-۵۵ enrolled in the study. Data analysis was in two stages. In the first stage, the social and economic inequalities were investigated using the concentration index and concentration curve method, and in the second method, and multilevel method was used to identify the determinants.The prevalence of tobacco smoking in women was ۱۲.۲۴%. The concentration index for smoking was CI = -۰.۰۷ [۹۵% CI (-۰.۰۹, -۰.۰۵)], which represents smoking in people with low socioeconomic status. The results of the multilevel analysis indicated that the marital status of people over the age of ۳۵ and the economic class was related to smoking in women.Inequality in tobacco smoking in women is to the interest of the well-off group, and this inequality varies in different provinces. Marital status, place of residence, age and socioeconomic status of women are factors influencing the prevalence of tobacco smoking in women, and these issues should be noticed to reduce inequalities.

Keywords:

Inequality , tobacco smoking , socioeconomic status , women , Iran