The changing contribution of smoking to educational differences in life expectancy: indirect estimates for Finnish men and women from 1971 to 2010.

ABSTRACT:

Background

We estimated the contribution of smoking to educational differences in mortality and life expectancy between 1971 and 2010 in Finland.

Methods

Eight prospective datasets with baseline in 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005 and each linked to a 5-year mortality follow-up were used. We calculated life expectancy at age 50 years with and without smoking-attributable mortality by education and gender. Estimates of smoking-attributable mortality were based on an indirect method that used lung cancer mortality as a proxy for the impact of smoking on mortality from all other causes.

Results

Smoking-attributable deaths constituted about 27% of all male deaths above age 50 years in the early 1970s and 17% in the period 2006-2010; these figures were 1%

SUBMITTER: Martikainen P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3886806 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature