SMOKING
Compared with the 27% of men
in the general population who smoked cigarettes, higher levels of
cigarette smoking were reported by Bangladeshi (44%),
Irish (39%) and Black Caribbean (35%) men. Prevalence was lowest among
Chinese men (17%), and was similar to the general population for Pakistani
and Indian men (26% and 23% respectively). Age standardisation confirmed
this pattern. Irish women (33%) were more likely to smoke
cigarettes than women in the general population (27%), while prevalence
among Black
Caribbean
women was similar (25%). Among women in the other groups, cigarette
smoking was very low, ranging from 1% of Bangladeshi women to 9% of
Chinese women. Age standardisation did not change this picture.
South
Asian informants were also asked about their use of chewing tobacco.
Of the three South Asian groups, Bangladeshi men and women
were the
most likely to report tobacco chewing: 19% of men and 26% of women,
compared with between 2% and 6% for Indians and Pakistanis of both
sexes.
The chart shows the prevalence of all tobacco
use (cigarette smoking and/or pipe or cigar smoking and/or tobacco
chewing), together
with
prevalence of cigarette smoking. The overall prevalence of tobacco
use was 32% among men and 27% among women in the general population.
As
the chart shows, the biggest difference between cigarette smoking
prevalence and overall tobacco use was found in Bangladeshis (for
men, an increase
from 44% to 53%, for women, from 1% to 27%, once other forms of
tobacco are included). Source:
The Health Survey of England 1999
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