XXXX intake in cigarette smokers in England: distribution and demographic correlates.

@entity1 @entity1239 @entity4874
Documenting smoke intake by objective biochemical markers is important for quantification of exposure to toxins. The aim of this report is to show the most definitive distribution of the @entity1239 metabolite, @entity4874 , yet available from English smokers in the period before implementation of the legislation banning smoking in indoor public areas. A total of 6,423 cigarette smokers, ages 16 years and above, taking part in the Health Survey for England between 1998 and 2003 provided a saliva @entity4874 value. Data on cigarette consumption, age, gender, social class, deprivation (as indicated by manual or nonmanual occupation, car ownership, and housing tenure), marital status, and region were collected. @entity4874 concentrations showed no overall trend over the study period. The mean value was 289.15 ng/mL (SD 174.43); excluding those who had not smoked in the past 24 hours, the mean value was 302.08 ng/mL (SD 168.78). A higher @entity4874 concentration was associated with being middle-aged (peaking at 40 years), being male, being single, greater economic deprivation, and not living in London. After adjusting for cigarette consumption, higher values were associated with middle age, being male, and greater deprivation. This study provides the most complete picture yet of the smoke intake of cigarette smokers in England. The fact that @entity4874 peaks at around the age of 40 years raises the possibility that @entity1239 intake continues to increase decades after a @entity1 starts to smoke. Greater @entity1239 intake in more deprived smokers could explain why they find it harder to stop smoking.
