Men's health * Quit smoking

Smoking accounts for health gap

Half the difference in male death rates between the top and bottom social classes is blamed on smoking, say international researchers A study in the Lancet into death rates amongst men in England and Wales, Canada, the USA and Poland found that men of a lower social class, income or educational level have twice the chance of an early death.

Half of this increased risk involves smoking-related illness.

Professor Sir Richard Peto, co-author from the University of Oxford, said: "Widespread cessation of smoking could eventually halve the absolute differences between these social strata in the risk of premature death."

Cancer Research UK's medical director Professor John Toy said: "All men who smoke play Russian roulette with their lives but the odds are heavily stacked against those in lower income groups as they are much more likely to smoke.

The study was part-funded by Cancer Research UK.

The text of the study is available here on the Lancet web site, you will need to register to access it but it is free to do so.

This article was published on Sat 15 July 2006

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