Smuggled tobacco, deprivation and addiction.

OBJECTIVE To identify the links between smuggled tobacco, deprivation and addiction across one Health Authority in the North East of England and identify the impact on people living in disadvantaged areas. DESIGN Anonymous postal survey. Sample size 11 443. Multivariate analysis including an 'Ideal Types analysis' examined the probabilities of purchase of smuggled tobacco and associations with population characteristics. SETTING Sample taken from across the Hull & East Riding Health Authority area in the UK. PARTICIPANTS Randomly selected from those aged 16 and over, who were registered with a GP in the Health Authority area on the 1 September 2000. RESULTS The predicted probability of having ever bought smuggled tobacco for a male, employed, heavy smoker living in a deprived area was 0.67. A female with the same characteristics had a probability of 0.49. For the unemployed the probabilities are 0.55 and 0.37 respectively. For respondents living in non-deprived areas the probability of having ever bought smuggled tobacco was much lower. This probability was further reduced for respondents who were unemployed. Respondents living in deprived areas had a 134% higher probability of being heavily addicted to tobacco. Links between addiction and deprivation are confirmed. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms and extends the findings of previous qualitative studies. The results of this analysis demonstrate that people who have bought smuggled tobacco are heavy smokers with high levels of addiction, living in socially deprived areas, but are more likely to be in employment. They are likely to use smuggled tobacco to save money and sustain their smoking habit.