Gradient of vaccine hesitancy among French men having sex with men: An electronic cross-sectional survey in 2022.

In developed countries, vaccinations against hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis A (HAV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) are often recommended to men who have sex with men (MSM) because of the risky sexual practices in which some engage. Vaccine coverage against these diseases is not optimal in France, probably due in part to vaccine hesitancy (VH). The overall aim of this survey among MSM was to estimate the prevalence of different grades of VH for these vaccines as well as of general VH (toward any vaccine). The specific objectives were to study the sociodemographic correlates of MSM specific and general VH and its association with vaccine uptake. A cross-sectional electronic survey (February-August 2022) collected information from 3,730 French MSM about their perceptions of HBV, HAV, and HPV and their related vaccines, to construct "specific VH" variables. Information about their past vaccination behaviors for any vaccine was used to construct a "general VH" variable, based on the World Health Organization definition. Almost 90% of MSM showed moderate or high specific VH for HBV, HAV, and/or HPV, and 54% general VH. A higher education level and comfortable financial situation were associated with lower grades of specific and general VH. Younger age was associated with less frequent specific VH and more frequent general VH. Specific VH, versus general, was more strongly associated with frequent self-reported non-vaccination against these three disease. Addressing their concerns about vaccines, improving their knowledge of vaccine-preventable sexually transmitted infections, and motivating them to get vaccinated are public health priorities.

Cigarettes and social differentiation in France: is tobacco use increasingly concentrated among the poor?

AIMS: This paper aimed to assess whether the increase of social differentiation of smoking is observed in France. DESIGN AND SETTING: Five cross-sectional telephone surveys conducted in France between 2000 and 2007. PARTICIPANTS: The surveys were conducted among national representative samples of French subjects aged 18-75 years (n=12 256, n=2906, n=27 499, n=2887, n=6007 in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively). We focused on three groups: executives, manual workers and the unemployed. MEASUREMENTS: Time trends of smoking prevalence were assessed, and socio-economic factors (especially occupation and job status) associated with smoking were identified and compared in 2000 and 2005. We also computed respondents' equivalized household consumption (EHI) and their cigarette budget to assess the financial burden of smoking. FINDINGS: Between 2000 and 2007, smoking prevalence decreased by 22% among executive managers and professionals and by 11% among manual workers, and did not decrease among the unemployed. Indicators of an underprivileged social situation were associated more markedly with smoking in 2005 than in 2000. In addition, the falling-off of smoking initiation occurred later and was less marked among manual workers than it was among executive managers and professionals. Finally, in 2005 15% of French smokers devoted at least 20% of their EHI to the purchase of cigarettes, versus only 5% in 2000, and smoking weighted increasingly heavily on the poorest smokers' budgets. CONCLUSIONS: While these results point out an increased social differentiation in tobacco use, they underline the need to design and implement other forms of action to encourage people to quit, in particular targeting individuals belonging to underprivileged groups.

"It's all we got left". Why poor smokers are less sensitive to cigarette price increases.

In France, between 2000 and 2008, concurrently to the increase in cigarette price, we observed an increasing social differentiation of cigarette smoking: smoking prevalence decreased among executive managers and professional occupations, it remained stable among manual workers, and it increased among the unemployed. Poor smokers were heavier smokers, they were more frequently tobacco-dependent, and they were more prone to smoke automatically or to reduce "negative feelings". In-depth interviews provided a more comprehensive insight into poor smokers' motivations: they were aware of their addiction, but they also talked about the pleasure they get from smoking, and they highlighted the essential needs satisfied by smoking: stress relief, cheap leisure, compensation for loneliness, break-up or redundancy... Acknowledging the functional aspects of smoking experienced by poor smokers helps to understand why increasing the cigarette price is unlikely to deter many poor smokers from smoking.

Working conditions, job dissatisfaction and smoking behaviours among French clerks and manual workers.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationships between working conditions, job dissatisfaction and smoking behaviors among clerks and manual workers. METHODS: We used data from the French Health Barometer, a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted among a national random sample (N = 4825). Regarding working conditions, the questionnaire dealt with reported job satisfaction, psychological demands and mental workload, physical demands, latitude decision and work schedule. RESULTS: Manual workers and clerks who reported strong dissatisfaction toward unhealthy working conditions also reported more frequently current smoking, tobacco dependence, potential alcohol dependence and perceived stress. After adjusting for socio-demographic confounders, perceived working conditions and job dissatisfaction remained correlated with smoking and tobacco dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Poor working conditions may heavily contribute to health inequalities, as they are likely to fuel both stress and unhealthy behaviors, which combine to increase morbidity and mortality.

Poverty as a smoking trap.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between smoking and poverty is a public health issue in many countries, and several studies have shown a link between living in deprived neighbourhoods and smoking. In France the prevalence of smoking has decreased since the year 2000s. We examined whether reduced smoking rates differed by socio-economic status, anticipating reductions to be smaller amongst lower socio-economic groups. We also investigated whether poor housing conditions and/or living in a deprived neighbourhood were significantly associated with smoking. METHODS: Data were collected by telephone surveys conducted between 2000 and 2007 with representative samples of the French population aged 18-75. The data from the last of these surveys (2007, N=6007) were also used to carry out a cluster analysis on various indicators relating to housing conditions and neighbourhood. RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2007 the social differential in smoking rates increased sharply in France. Specific types of neighbourhood and poor housing conditions (described as cramped housing in a noisy and stressful environment or deprived neighbourhood), which were closely correlated with socio-economic status, were found to be significantly correlated with smoking, even after adjusting for potential key confounders and especially for individual markers of social disadvantage. CONCLUSION: Interventions which do not specifically target smoking but which contribute to improving poor smokers' living conditions, are necessary to promote smoking cessation.

Smoking too few cigarettes to be at risk? Smokers' perceptions of risk and risk denial, a French survey.

BACKGROUND: Past studies on smokers' risk perception have produced mixed results. We endorsed a new approach to assess smokers' perceptions of risk by asking them to estimate threshold values for the cancer risk associated with daily consumption of tobacco and number of smoking years. We expected that many smokers would endorse a "risk denial" attitude, with threshold estimates higher than their own smoking consumption and duration. METHODOLOGY: A French national telephone survey (n = 3820; 979 current smokers) included several questions about smoking behaviours and related beliefs. RESULTS: Among current smokers, 44% considered that smoking can cause cancer only for a daily consumption higher than their own consumption, and an additional 20% considered that the cancer risk becomes high only for a smoking duration higher than their own. Most smokers also agreed with other "risk denial" statements ("smoking is not more dangerous than air pollution," "some people smoke their whole life but never get sick"). Those who considered they smoked too few cigarettes to be at risk were less likely to report personal fear of smoking related cancer. CONCLUSION: Risk denial is quite widespread among smokers and does not simply reflect a lack of information about health risks related to tobacco. Fully informing smokers about their risks may necessitate changing the way they process information to produce beliefs and limiting their capacity to generate self exempting beliefs.