Smoking Prevalence and Corruption in the EU
Author Information
Author(s): Ilze Bogdanovica, Ann McNeill, Rachael Murray, John Britton
Primary Institution: UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, University of Nottingham
Hypothesis
Smoking prevalence is higher in countries with high levels of public sector corruption.
Conclusion
Corruption is an important risk factor for the failure of national tobacco control activities in EU countries.
Supporting Evidence
- Smoking prevalence was significantly higher in countries with higher scores for corruption.
- Corruption perception index was independently related to smoking prevalence.
- Exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace was correlated with corruption.
Takeaway
Countries with more corruption tend to have more people who smoke. This means that if a country is corrupt, it might not do a good job of stopping people from smoking.
Methodology
Ecological data from 27 EU Member States were analyzed for correlations between smoking prevalence and various national characteristics.
Potential Biases
The study may be influenced by the varying methods used to construct the Corruption Perceptions Index over time.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional, which limits causal inference, and data were collected during an economic recession.
Participant Demographics
Data were collected from EU Member States, with samples of around 1,000 respondents aged 15 years and older.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.001
Confidence Interval
95% CI 0.63 to 2.61
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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