Tobacco smoking in Brazil: regional inequalities and prevalence according to occupational characteristics

This study describes the prevalence of daily tobacco smoking according to sex, age, per capita household income and occupation of residents aged 15 years or more in Brazil and regions using data from the 2008 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD/IBGE). The analysis was adjusted for the sampling design and included 252.768 individuals. Daily smoking prevalence in Brazil was 15.1%, varying from 12.8% in the North region to 17.4% in the South region, and it was 62% higher in men compared to women. Smoking prevalence was inversely proportional to household income, 18.6% among the poorest 20% and 11.5% among the wealthiest 20%. The same trends for gender, age and income were observed in the different regions of Brazil. Daily smoking was 3% higher among workers compared to non-workers. White collar workers presented a smoking prevalence below 10%, while blue collar workers had rates above 20%. The association between smoking and occupation persisted after the adjustment for sex, age and household income. The inequalities found should be considered when developing effective strategies for smoking reduction. The more exposed occupational groups should have priority in the interventions.