Exploring the Relationship between Education Attainment, Cigarette Smoking Patterns and Lung Cancer Mortality

Juanita Chinn, University of Texas at Austin

This study examines the relationship between cigarette smoking, educational attainment and lung cancer mortality (LCM). Using the 1997-2000 National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult Supplement linked to the 1997-2002 mortality data from the Longitudinal Mortality Follow-Up file, we will examine the association between educational attainment and smoking patterns in the United States, analyze LCM rates and patterns across age groups by smoking and education, and examine the data to determine if education has a buffering effect against mortality for smokers and if low education exacerbates the effect of smoking on mortality. Using crosstabs we examine the relationship between smoking, education and LCM among adults aged 45+ years. Further analysis will include the use of proportional hazards modeling to analyze the relationships in these data and to test our hypotheses. Preliminary analyses show individuals with some high school make-up the largest portion of heavy smokers who have died from lung cancer.