Inhaling Inequality - Tobacco’s contribution to health inequality in New Zealand

Inhaling Inequality - Tobacco’s contribution to health inequality in New Zealand
Date of publication: October 2001

Tobacco consumption makes a major contribution to both socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in health in New Zealand. Indeed, tobacco has been widely recognised as the leading preventable cause of premature mortality in developed countries. New Zealand is internationally recognised for the quality and comprehensiveness of its tobacco control programme. Nevertheless, there is still some way to go, as this report makes clear.

Building on an earlier report in the Occasional Bulletin series, which analysed the socioeconomic gradient in life expectancy, this report attempts to quantify the contribution of tobacco to the loss in life expectancy experienced by males and females, different ethnic groups, and neighbourhoods varying in their degree of material deprivation.

Overall it concludes that the loss of health to tobacco accounts for about one-fifth of the gender difference in life expectancy at birth, one-quarter of the inequality between Mäori and non-Mäori, and one-third of the deprivation gradient.

The report highlights the importance of tackling the root causes of social inequality, as well as treating the ‘symptoms’, such as smoking. The estimates of the contribution of tobacco to social inequalities in health presented in this report will provide a baseline for future monitoring, and will be of value in the formulation and evaluation of tobacco control policies and programmes.

The report should be of interest to policy makers and their advisors, health professionals concerned with tobacco control, and a wide range of community groups concerned with public health.

Comments on this report are welcomed, and should be sent to:

Public Health Intelligence,
Ministry of Health,
PO Box 5013,
Wellington.

Don Matheson
Deputy Director-General
Public Health Directorate

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