Smoking in France: Analysis of the 2010 Health Barometer Survey

The INPES Health Barometers provide a regular overview of epidemiological surveillance indicators in the general population. These random surveys are conducted by telephone among the population of metropolitan France aged 15 to 75. The latest survey, conducted in 2010 among more than 27,000 individuals, shows a recent increase in smoking in France, after more than twenty years of decline. The proportion of daily smokers appears to have increased compared to 2005 (from 27.0% to 29.1%), particularly among women aged 45 to 65. This rise in smoking is largely due to a generational shift. In fact, women born in the postwar period between 1945 and 1965—who were therefore between the ages of 45 and 65 in 2010—belong to a generation marked by the rise in smoking among women: they smoke more and are less likely to quit than women of previous generations. Furthermore, the anti-smoking effort appeared to focus more on secondhand smoke than it did between 2000 and 2005, a period characterized by sharp price increases. The desire to quit among smokers has also declined since 2005 (57.6% in 2010 vs. 64.8% in 2005), whereas it had remained stable between 2000 and 2005, as did the fear of tobacco-related diseases, particularly among younger people. Overall, however, the results are mixed. For example, the proportion of smokers who smoke more than ten cigarettes a day is declining. The ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, particularly in the workplace (introduced in 2007), may have contributed to the decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked daily by smokers. Furthermore, increased awareness of the risks of secondhand smoke following the enactment of this law may account for the decline in the proportion of smokers who report smoking inside their homes, particularly in the presence of children (in 2010, 40% of smokers reported that they never smoke at home). Similarly, the decline in agreement with the statement that “smoking helps you feel more comfortable in a group” could be a sign of a gradual denormalization of smoking, resulting in particular from the regulations on secondhand smoke. Furthermore, the age at which people start smoking appears to be getting later and later, a trend also observed in surveys of adolescents. This trend could be attributed to the ban on tobacco sales to those under 16 in 2004, then to all minors since 2009, as well as to successive price increases since 2007. As in previous surveys, smoking appears to be associated with a lower socioeconomic status in terms of educational attainment, income, occupation, or employment status (particularly unemployment). This social divide has tended to widen compared to 2000 and 2005. Blue-collar workers, those with the lowest levels of education, and people with low incomes are also the ones who feel least well-informed about tobacco. Furthermore, while success in quitting smoking varies significantly by socioeconomic status (increasing as socioeconomic status rises), individuals’ propensity to try to quit smoking is relatively consistent. This study suggests that a concern for one’s health appears to be a factor in successful smoking cessation, unlike the influence of tobacco prices, which, according to respondents’ statements, acts more as a “trigger.” Finally, the analyses suggest that the role of general practitioners in smoking cessation care could be strengthened. In fact, just over one-third of smokers who wish to quit plan to do so with the help of a doctor (37.4%). The second wave of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) cohort study, conducted in 2008, showed that in this area, France ranked near the bottom among the twenty-three participating countries, with only 28% of smokers having received advice from their doctor to quit smoking during a routine visit in the past six months.

Author(s): Guignard Romain, Beck François, Richard Jean-Baptiste, Peretti-watel Patrick

Publishing year: 2014

Pages: 56p.

Format/Duration: 21 x 29.7 cm

Ref: W-0083-001-1312

Collection: Health Barometers

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