Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicología del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.
Psicothema, 2010. Vol. Vol. 22 (nº 4). 634-640
Alexandra Leader*,**,***, Ana Fernández-Somoano*,**, María Felicitas López-Cima*,**, Patricia González-Arriaga*,**, Teresa Pascual****, Manuel G. Marrón**** and Adonina Tardón*,**
* Universidad de Oviedo, ** CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), *** Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York) and **** Hospital de Cabueñes (Gijón)
Socioeconomic inequalities cause different tobacco consumption patterns. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between educational level and smoking behaviour, including type of tobacco consumption, in lung cancer patients. To this end, epidemiological analyses of 801 lung cancer patients recruited for a case-control study in four public hospitals in Asturias, Spain, between October 2000 and April 2006 were carried out. Smoking behaviour and educational level data were obtained through personal interview. Analyses indicated that the probability of heavy smoking among low educational-level patients was approximately twice as high as for high educational-level patients (RRR>31.2packs/years = 2.04; CI 95%= 1.15-3.62; RRR>52packs/years= 2.14; CI 95%= 0.98-4.64). Low-educated patients were more than three times as likely to be long-time smokers (RRR>40years= 3.30; CI 95%= 1.43-7.62). The probability of smoking exclusively black tobacco was almost four times greater in low educational-level patients (RRRblack only= 3.72; CI 95%= 1.23-11.19). The results show that there are broad educational inequalities with regard to the quantity, duration and type of tobacco consumption among lung cancer patients in Northern Spain.
Desigualdades educativas según la cantidad, duración y tipo de tabaco consumido en pacientes con cáncer de pulmón en Asturias: análisis epidemiológicos. Las desigualdades socioeconómicas causan diferentes patrones de consumo tabáquico. El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar la relación entre el nivel educativo y el hábito tabáquico en pacientes con cáncer de pulmón. Para ello se llevaron a cabo análisis epidemiológicos en 801 casos de cáncer de pulmón reclutados en un estudio caso-control de Asturias, entre octubre de 2000 y abril de 2006. Los datos relativos al hábito tabáquico y al nivel educativo fueron obtenidos mediante entrevista personal. La probabilidad de ser gran fumador entre pacientes de bajo nivel educativo es aproximadamente dos veces mayor que en pacientes con nivel educativo alto (RRR>31,2paquetes-año = 2,04; IC95% = 1,15-3,62; RRR>52paquetes-año= 2,14; IC95%= 0.98-4.64). Los pacientes con bajo nivel educativo fumaban durante más tiempo (RRR>40años= 3,30; IC95%= 1,43-7,62) y tenían cuatro veces más probabilidades de fumar exclusivamente tabaco negro (RRRsolo tabaco negro= 3,72; IC95%= 1,23-11,19). Los resultados indican que existen grandes desigualdades educativas en relación a la cantidad, duración y tipo de tabaco consumido entre los pacientes de cáncer de pulmón en Asturias.