Publication year: 2011
Source: Social Science & Medicine, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 19 July 2011
T., Chahine , S.V., Subramanian , J.I., Levy
Because smoking is a pervasive risk factor for numerous health outcomes, it is essential to understand smoking patterns in different populations and places. Previous studies have described sociodemographic and geographic variation in smoking across the US, providing insight to public health scientists aiming to identify high-risk populations and places in the absence of local data. This study extends previous research by considering the influence of a combination of covariates at the US state, core-based statistical area (CBSA), and individual levels, focusing on a time period when smoking prevalence has decreased significantly but disparities remain. We applied multilevel regression to the…
Highlights: ► Geographic and demographic disparities in smoking rates in the United States persist in spite of recent overall reductions. ► Demographic variables predict smoking rates and explain significant geographic variance but not differences between states. ► Contextual factors (e.g., state laws, area poverty) have modest statistical significance but explain between-state variance. ► Both population composition and contextual factors must be considered when explaining smoking patterns.