Smoking among immigrants in Norway, results from the Living Condition Survey among immigrants 2016

Abstract Introduction Smoking is one of the major risk factors for health and disease. Knowledge on smoking prevalence in groups of immigrants is needed to tailor interventions for smoking cessation. Methods Statistics Norway carried out a Living Condition Survey among immigrants in 2016. Participants were immigrants from twelve countries of origin with ≥2 years residency in Norway. They were interviewed in the main language of their country of origin, English or Norwegian as preferred. In this report 4339 immigrants aged 15-66 years were included. Participants were asked “Does it happen that you smoke?” and all participants answering yes to this question were classified as smokers. Results A smaller proportion immigrant women (14%) than other women (21%) smoked, whereas a larger proportion immigrant men (32%) smoked compared to other men (22%). Among immigrant women, the proportion of smokers varied greatly, from almost no smokers from Eritrea and Afghanistan (40% of men from Vietnam, Turkey, Poland and Kosovo smoked. Having moved to Norway in young age and long duration of residence increased the odds of smoking among women. Men without a close friend were more likely than other men to smoke. Conclusions Variation in smoking by country of origin and gender should taken into account in future smoking cessation initiatives and prevention among immigrants. Key messages Smoking prevalence among immigrant vary substantially by country of origin and gender. Smoking is related to acculturation and social environment.