Individual and neighborhood-level socioeconomic characteristics in relation to smoking prevalence among black and white adults in the <it>S</it>outheastern United States: a cross-sectional study

• Main Authors: Cohen Sarah S, Sonderman Jennifer S, Mumma Michael T, Signorello Lisa B, Blot William J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-11-01
• Series: BMC Public Health
• Subjects: Cigarette smoking; Socioeconomic status; Race; Residence characteristics
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/877

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher prevalence of cigarette smoking. Recent work has examined whether neighborhood-level SES may affect smoking behavior independently from individual-level measures. However, few comparisons of neighborhood-level effects on smoking by race and gender are available.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cross-sectional data from adults age 40-79 enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study from 2002-2009 (19, 561 black males; 27, 412 black females; 6, 231 white males; 11, 756 white females) were used in Robust Poisson regression models to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for current smoking in relation to individual-level SES characteristics obtained via interview and neighborhood-level SES characteristics represented by demographic measures from US Census block groups matched to participant home addresses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Several neighborhood-level SES characteristics were modestly associated with increased smoking after adjustment for individual-level factors including lower percentage of adults with a college education and lower percentage of owner-occupied households among blacks but not whites; lower percentage of households with interest, dividends, or net rental income among white males; and lower percentage of employed adults among black females.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Lower neighborhood-level SES is associated with increased smoking suggesting that cessation programs may benefit from targeting higher-risk neighborhoods as well as individuals.</p>