Tobacco behaviour and the social inequality gap

Smoking is one primary reason for the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor. There is a strong overrepresentation of smokers in lower SES groups, smoking intensity is higher, they tend to smoke more dangerous products, the age at first cigarette is on average lower, they are more likely to condone passive smoking, fewer take steps to limit smoking in their homes and tend more frequently to be misinformed about the health hazards. Quit rates and intentions to quit decrease and lack of knowledge abou t cessation aids increases with SES. Ph.D.-project 1 wil perform research on hard-core smokers, changes in smokers involvement in other risk behaviour, motives for not using smoking cessation aids among potential quitters in different SES-groups, predic tors of tobacco trajectories in different SES-groups and the role of health values and risk perceptions in different SES. Ph.D.-project 2 will focus on stability, change and transitions in smoking and use of snus from early adolescence into adulthood an d its relationship with socioeconomic statuss, smoking in the context of other health behaviours, clustering of unhealthy habits in different SES-groups and subjective health status as reported from adolescence to adulhood for smokers and users of snus in different SES. Post-doc-project will adress to what degree SES will modify the associations between i) impulsiveness and changes in smoking behaviour and ii) discount of future rewards and smoking status, changes in the accumulation of material and lif estyle problems among daily smokers in different SES, if SES will modify the role cultural values, health values and risk perception have as predictors for smoking status - and if persons from different SES have changed their perceptions of dangerousness, addictiveness and quitting ability related to use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs differently.