PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Tackling early socioeconomic inequality as important as encouraging smoking cessation

2013-11-19
(Press-News.org) Contact information: David Weston
d.weston@ucl.ac.uk
44-020-310-83844
University College London
Tackling early socioeconomic inequality as important as encouraging smoking cessation Although health behaviours such as smoking are directly linked to the majority of early deaths in the UK, tackling these individual factors fails to address the underlying cause. To get to the root of the problem, childhood deprivation must be addressed because it promotes damaging health behaviours in adult life. So say researchers from UCL (University College London) in a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

The study aimed to quantify the effects of early life circumstances on people's propensity to smoke, and the link between lower social status and increased risk of early death.

Professor Eric Brunner (UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health), senior author of the research, says: "We set out to understand whether the risk of early death is passed from one generation to the next by social and economic disadvantage. Our research, based on a cohort of babies born in 1946, shows that inequalities in childhood and early adult life directly impact on social inequalities in mortality in later life.

"What we found was that whether people smoke or not accounts for a significant amount of the social difference in premature mortality," continues Professor Brunner. "However, when we factor in people's early life circumstances, the independent explanatory power of smoking behaviour reduces from 51 per cent to 28 per cent. The difference is explained by the social and economic inequalities people experienced in their formative years.

"Early life circumstances clearly have a huge effect on the health behaviours people exhibit into adulthood. For example, many teenagers in the study started smoking, and childhood advantage predicted successful quitting. This pattern of quitting leads to the familiar social patterning of smoking in middle age. Our work provides evidence that social inequalities in health will persist unless prevention strategies tackle the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage and risk."

The researchers analysed data from 2,132 participants who were born in 1946 and followed to the age of 66 as part of the 1946 Birth Cohort (MRC National Survey of Health and Development). Socioeconomic circumstances were measured during childhood (based on the father's social class when the participant was aged 4, and the level of maternal education when the participant was aged 6) and at the age of 26 (based on the participant's educational attainment, home ownership and the social class of their head of household).

Lead author Ingrid Giesinger says: "Differences in childhood and early adult circumstances are underlying causes of social inequalities in both adult health behaviours and mortality in the immediate post-war generation. Policies focused only on adult health behaviours do not address the socially patterned causes of these behaviours, or the independent role played by these causes in social inequalities in health."

David Buck, Senior Fellow at health think-tank The Kings Fund, says: "We welcome this study which demonstrates how important early life experiences are directly to our long-term health, and how this is reinforced through shaping our health behaviours which then track through to adulthood and early death. This strengthens the case for increased investment in narrowing inequalities in early childhood experience, as well as measures to support quitting smoking and other damaging health behaviours in adults."

### Notes to Editors

Paper reference: Giesinger I., Goldblatt P., Howden-Chapman P., Marmot M., Kuh D., Brunner E., Association of socioeconomic position with smoking and mortality: the contribution of early life circumstances in the 1946 birth cohort, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, doi:10.1136/jech-2013-203159

NOTE 1: Previous studies have investigated the 'socioeconomic gradient in mortality' (i.e. the link between lower social status and increased risk of early death). One recent study demonstrated that when people's behaviour over an extended period of time (24 years) is factored in, almost three quarters (72%) of the social gradient can be explained by smoking, drinking, diet and exercise. However, what this earlier work failed to address is the impact of poor circumstances in childhood and early adulthood on later health behaviours.

Media contacts:

For a copy of the paper, or to speak to one of the authors, contact David Weston in the UCL Press Office, T: +44 (0) 203 108 3844, d.weston@ucl.ac.uk

About UCL (University College London) Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. We are among the world's top universities, as reflected by our performance in a range of international rankings and tables. According to the Thomson Scientific Citation Index, UCL is the second most highly cited European university and the 15th most highly cited in the world. UCL has nearly 25,000 students from 150 countries and more than 9,000 employees, of whom one third are from outside the UK. The university is based in Bloomsbury in the heart of London, but also has two international campuses – UCL Australia and UCL Qatar. Our annual income is more than £800 million. http://www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow us on Twitter @uclnews | Watch our YouTube channel YouTube.com/UCLTV


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Bacteria recycle broken DNA

2013-11-19
Bacteria recycle broken DNA Bacteria recycle broken DNA that bacteria can take up small as well as large pieces of old DNA from this scrapheap and include it in their own genome. This discovery may have major consequences – both in connection ...

A vexing math problem finds an elegant solution

2013-11-19
A vexing math problem finds an elegant solution ITHACA, N.Y. – A famous math problem that has vexed mathematicians for decades has met an elegant solution by Cornell University researchers. Graduate student Yash Lodha, working with Justin Moore, professor of mathematics, ...

Modeling of internal friction adds new wrinkle to realistic simulation of cloth behavior

2013-11-19
Modeling of internal friction adds new wrinkle to realistic simulation of cloth behavior Disney Researchers lead international collaboration Most people try to keep clothing wrinkle free, but computer graphic artists, striving for realism in computer simulations, take ...

Men with prostate cancer who ate a low-fat fish oil diet showed changes in their cancer tissue

2013-11-19
Men with prostate cancer who ate a low-fat fish oil diet showed changes in their cancer tissue For prostate cancer patients, it's a case of you are what you eat Men with prostate cancer who ate a low-fat diet and took fish oil supplements ...

UT researchers use simple scaling theory to better predict gas production in barnett shale wells

2013-11-19
UT researchers use simple scaling theory to better predict gas production in barnett shale wells AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed a simple scaling theory to estimate gas production from hydraulically fractured ...

Consistent bed time and wake time linked to healthier weight

2013-11-19
Consistent bed time and wake time linked to healthier weight Study finds women who wake up at same time every day have lower body fat Prior research has shown not getting enough sleep can impact your weight, but new BYU research finds the consistency of your bed ...

SlipChip counts molecules with chemistry and a cell phone

2013-11-19
SlipChip counts molecules with chemistry and a cell phone In developing nations, rural areas, and even one's own home, limited access to expensive equipment and trained medical professionals can impede the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Many ...

Stress reduction through meditation may aid in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease

2013-11-19
Stress reduction through meditation may aid in slowing the progression of Alzheimer's disease BIDMC pilot study shows promise for age-related cognitive diseases BOSTON – It's well known that the brains of meditators change, but it's not entirely ...

A superconductor-surrogate earns its stripes

2013-11-19
A superconductor-surrogate earns its stripes Berkeley Lab study reveals origins of an exotic phase of matter Understanding superconductivity – whereby certain materials can conduct electricity without any loss of energy – has proved to be one of the most ...

Like other offenses, cyberdeviance and cybercrime seem to start and peak in the teen years

2013-11-19
Like other offenses, cyberdeviance and cybercrime seem to start and peak in the teen years Tech-y teens, often more curious than criminal, are likely to start turning their talents to cyberdeviance and cybercrime at about age 15, with such activities peaking ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Two scientific researchers to receive 2025 Ralph L. Sacco Scholarships for Brain Health

Researchers improve chemical reaction that underpins products from foods to fuels

Texas Tech to develop semiconductor power devices through $6 million grant

Novel genomic screening tool enables precision reverse-engineering of genetic programming in cells

Hot Schrödinger cat states created

How cells repair their power plants

Oxygen is running low in inland waters—and humans are to blame

ACP’s Best Practice Advice addresses use of cannabis, cannabinoids for chronic noncancer pain

Beyond photorespiration: A systematic approach to unlocking enhanced plant productivity

How a small number of mutations can fuel outbreaks of western equine encephalitis virus

Exposure to wildfire smoke linked with worsening mental health conditions

Research uncovers hidden spread of one of the most common hospital-associated infections

Many older adults send their doctors portal messages, but who pays?

Fine particulate matter from 2020 California wildfires and mental health–related emergency department visits

Gender inequity in institutional leadership roles in US academic medical centers

Pancreatic cells ‘remember’ epigenetic precancerous marks without genetic sequence mutations

Rare combination of ovarian tumors found in one patient

AI-driven clinical recommendations may aid physician decision making to improve quality of care

Artificial intelligence has potential to aid physician decisions during virtual urgent care

ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine present breaking scientific news at ACP’s Internal Medicine Meeting 2025

New study reveals polymers with flawed fillers boost heat transfer in plastics

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

[Press-News.org] Tackling early socioeconomic inequality as important as encouraging smoking cessation