2023-05-31 09:20:37
On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, May 31, Public Health France publishes in its Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH), the latest estimates of the prevalence of smoking in metropolitan France among adults aged 18 to 75. In 2022, a quarter of them say they smoke daily. After a sharp drop in daily smoking between 2016 and 2019 (from 29.4% to 24% in mainland France), the prevalence has stabilized since 2019.
Each year, Public Health France estimates the prevalence of smoking and its evolution compared to the previous year. This indicator plays a major role in steering the public policies implemented in the fight against smoking. After an unprecedented drop in daily smoking between 2016 and 2019 (from 29.4% to 24.0% in mainland France), the prevalence has stabilized since 2019. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in France with 75,000 attributable deaths in 20151or 13% of deaths.
In 2022, in metropolitan France, more than three out of ten people aged 18-75 say they smoke (31.8%) and a quarter smoke daily (24.5%). The increase seen among women between 2019 and 2021 does not appear to be continuing. Men smoke more than women (27.4% daily smoking, vs. 21.7%).
Social inequalities still very marked
Social inequalities in smoking were studied using three indicators: education, income and professional situation. The results show that:
- The prevalence of daily smoking will remain significantly higher in 2022 when the level of diploma is lower: it varies from 30.8% among people with no diploma or a diploma below the Baccalaureate to 16.8% among holders of a diploma higher than the baccalaureate.
- The prevalence is highest among the third of the population with the lowest incomes (33.6%).
- Finally, among 18-64 year olds, the prevalence of daily smoking remains significantly higher among unemployed people (42.3%), than among employed workers (26.1%) or students (19.1%). .
Regarding the changes, the prevalence of daily smoking does not vary significantly according to the diploma or according to the professional situation between 2021 and 2022, with a tendency to stability since 2019. The increase among the least qualified observed between 2019 and 2021 seems interrupt.
Vaping: increasing trend
In 2022, 41.2% of 18-75 year olds say they have already tried electronic cigarettes. The prevalence of daily vaping is 5.5%. It does not vary significantly compared to 2021, but an upward trend has been observed since 2016 (2.5% of daily vapers in 2016).
Nearly 6 out of 10 daily smokers want to quit
Data from the Barometer of Public Health France 2021 show that among daily smokers, 59.3% say they want to quit smoking, 26.4% say they plan to quit in the next 6 months and 30.3% have attempted quitting for at least one week in the past 12 months. Men smokers are more likely than women smokers to want to quit smoking (61.7% vs 56.5% of women) and to have made a quit attempt in the last 12 months (34.3% vs 25.8%), the differences being most marked among 18-34 year olds.
Results that invite us to strengthen strategies for preventing smoking and reducing social inequalities
After a period of decline in the prevalence of smoking between 2016 and 2019, the stability of smoking observed from 2020 is confirmed in 2022. An impact of the health, social and economic crisis linked to Covid-19 cannot be excluded concerning halting the decline in smoking prevalence and the rise seen among some populations. Social inequalities in smoking remain very marked and will be a major issue for the third national tobacco control programme, which will be launched in 2023. Public Health France is a major player in these public policies through its support for prevention measures in schools, its social marketing campaigns targeting smokers and its Tobacco info service, which is free and accessible to all.
A new impetus towards a #TobaccoFreeGeneration
The 2nd national tobacco control program launched in 2018 ended in 2022 with positive results: overall drop in daily smoking among adults (from 26.9% in 2017 to 24.5% in 2022) and significant drop among young people from 17 years (from 25.1% in 2017 to 15.6% in 2022 – Source: Escapad 2022 survey), multiplication of the volume of nicotine replacement treatments covered and the number of prescribing healthcare professionals, increase in places that have become “tobacco-free” in the territory…
With the aim of continuing the fight against the scourge of smoking and achieving a first generation without tobacco in 2032, in line with the objective of the ten-year strategy for the fight against cancer which is that, in the long term, of a without tobacco, the Minister of Health and Prevention François Braun announced a new national program to fight against tobacco, the preparation of which is continuing and which will be launched this year.
Following on from and accelerating the previous programme, the aim will be in particular to better prevent the onset of smoking and to support smokers in quitting, with particular attention to the target populations, in particular young people, as well as as on the reduction of social inequalities in health related to tobacco.
• Press release from Public Health France, May 31, 2023. Find all the figures and analyzes in the Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin (BEH) devoted to tobacco, “World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2023”, n°9-10, May 31, 2023 .
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