RT Journal Article
T1 Smoking-attributable mortality in Portugal and its regions in 2019
A1 Rey Brandariz, Julia
A1 Ravara, Sofía
A1 López Vizcaíno, Esther
A1 Santiago Pérez, María Isolina
A1 Ruano Raviña, Alberto
A1 Candal Pedreira, Cristina
A1 Varela Lema, María Leonor
A1 Mourino, Nerea
A1 Aguiar, Pedro
A1 Pérez Ríos, Mónica
K1 tobacco
K1 mortality
K1 cancer
K1 cardiovascular disease
K1 respiratory disease
K1 Portugal
AB Introduction and objectives: Timely regional-specific estimates of smoking-attributable mortality (SAM) are crucial for healthcare planning and tobacco control advocacy. Currently, this information is lacking in Portugal. The aim of this study was to estimate SAM by region in 2019 among the Portuguese population aged ≥35 years. Methods: SAM was estimated using an independent-prevalence method. Observed mortality was obtained from Portugal Statistics; lung cancer mortality rates in smokers and never-smokers from the Cancer Prevention Study I–II and updated relative risks from five contemporary US cohort studies. SAM was estimated for each NUTS-II region by sex, age, and cause of death. Crude SAM rates, sex- and age-specific rates, and age-adjusted rates were calculated using the direct method. Results: In 2019, tobacco consumption caused 13,847 deaths, representing 12.3% of total mortality among the Portuguese population aged ≥35 years. Of the total SAM, 71.2% occurred in men and 22.2% in those under 65 years; 42.5% was due to cancer, 35.4% to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and 22.2% to respiratory diseases. SAM greatly varied among regions from 2.1% in Madeira to 36.2% in the North region. In men, cancer was the leading cause of death in all regions, while in women it was cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Conclusion: In Portugal, tobacco-mortality burden is high and varies significantly by region, sex, and age. Therefore, estimates disaggregated by sociodemographic data and region may better support decision-makers while tailoring and implementing tobacco control policies addressing health population needs. The apparent lower tobacco burden among women and in some Portuguese regions may dramatically rise in the near future. This and the high SAM in Portugal, particularly in some regions, highlights the need to accelerate tobacco control both at national and regional levels.
PB Elsevier España S.L.U
SN 2531-0437
YR 2023
FD 2023
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/44561
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/44561
LA eng
NO Rey-Brandariz J, Ravara S, López-Vizcaíno E, Santiago-Pérez MI, Ruano-Ravina A, Candal-Pedreira C, Varela-Lema L, Mourino N, Aguiar P, Pérez-Ríos M. Smoking-attributable mortality in Portugal and its regions in 2019. Pulmonology. 2025 Dec 31;31(1):2416823
NO This paper forms part of the research for the PhD degree of Julia Rey-Brandariz, who received a FPU fellowship (reference number FPU20/00926), from the Ministry of Universities of Spain.
DS Minerva
RD 4 may 2026