Factors associated with self-assessed increase in tobacco consumption among over-indebted individuals in Germany: a cross-sectional study

Rueger, H., Weishaar, H., Ochsmann, E. B., Letzel, S. and Muenster, E. (2013) Factors associated with self-assessed increase in tobacco consumption among over-indebted individuals in Germany: a cross-sectional study. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 8, 12. (doi: 10.1186/1747-597X-8-12) (PMID:23497337) (PMCID:PMC3698111)

Abstract

Background Over-indebtedness is an increasing phenomenon in industrialised nations causing individual hardship and societal problems. Nonetheless, few studies have explored smoking among over-indebted individuals. Methods A cross-sectional survey (n=949) on retrospectively assessed changes in tobacco consumption was carried out in 2006 and 2007 among clients of 84 officially approved debt and insolvency counselling centres in Germany (response rate 39.7%). Logistic regressions were performed to explore factors associated with reports of increased smoking after onset of over-indebtedness. Results 63% of all respondents stated daily or occasional tobacco consumption. Almost one fifth reported an increase in smoking after becoming over-indebted. Females were less likely to report increased smoking than men (aOR 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-0.99) whereas respondents who had been over-indebted for more than 10 years were more likely to report increased smoking than those who had been over-indebted for less than five years (aOR 1.66; 95%-CI 1.00-2.76). The odds of increased smoking were also elevated among those who reported that their families and friends had withdrawn from them as a consequence of their over-indebtedness (aOR 1.82; 95%-CI 1.06-3.14). Conclusions The study identifies over-indebted individuals and particularly over-indebted men as a high-risk group of smokers. Low levels of social embeddedness/support were associated with a further increase in smoking after becoming over-indebted. Given recent increases of over-indebtedness, the findings highlight the need to develop appropriate public health policies.

• Item Type: Articles (Newspaper Article)
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Weishaar, Dr Heide
• Authors: Rueger, H., Weishaar, H., Ochsmann, E. B., Letzel, S., and Muenster, E.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU
• Journal Name: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• ISSN: 1747-597X
• ISSN (Online): 1747-597X
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2013 Rueger et al.
• First Published: First published in Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy 8:12
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License