Both smoking and heavy alcohol consumption account for a significant proportion of mortality inequalities in England, with lower socio-economic status (SES) associated with higher mortality for tobacco and alcohol-attributable diseases [1,2]. However, little is known about how drinking and smoking together contribute to these inequalities, and the implications of this socio-economic patterning for the differential effectiveness of control policies.
We aim to investigate the socio-economic patterning of smoking and alcohol use and its contribution to mortality inequality in England, in preparation for a larger strategic project on health economic modelling.
Objectives in the first year:
- To use the latest data to describe the patterning of smoking and alcohol use across multiple dimensions of SES in England, including deprivation status, employment, education and income.
- To combine the functions that link consumption to mortality in the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model
- and the Return on Investment Tool for tobacco control
- to quantify the contributions of smoking and drinking to mortality inequality.