Smoking in overseas France: striking inequalities

A report from the National Public Health Agency, published in February 2019, shows significant disparities between smoking rates observed on Reunion Island, French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique.

Heavy smoking on Reunion Island

What about tobacco consumption on the Pacific island? The study reveals that 24.1% of Réunion Island adults smoke, and that half of them can be considered heavy smokers. The observed smoking rate is therefore almost equivalent to that of metropolitan France, which is 26.9%. Furthermore, 31.9% of the island's inhabitants report smoking daily or occasionally. Here again, the figures are in line with those of mainland France. The same is true for the daily or occasional smoking rate observed among 17-year-olds, which in both cases is around 21%.

Martinique, Guadeloupe and Guyana: the good students

The rates are, however, much lower than those in mainland France: 15.9% of Martinicans smoke, 12.5% of Guadeloupeans and 12.5% of Guyanese smoke regularly. 17-year-olds who smoke daily or occasionally represent 6% of their category in French Guiana, 11% in Guadeloupe and 15% in Martinique.

Lung cancer, another illustration of these disparities

Here again, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana represent the regions least affected by lung cancer in France. In contrast, another study indicates that Réunion ranks first in female and male mortality from lung cancer in the French overseas departments and regions (DROMs) excluding Mayotte. The rate is notably high among men from Réunion, with 69.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

The use of electronic cigarettes

The Public Health France report shows that in 2014, 18.2% of Réunion Islanders had tried e-cigarettes – this rate is 32.8% in mainland France. It should be noted, however, that on the island, as in mainland France, men vape more than women.

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[i] “Tobacco: Reunion Island is a bad student, the Antilles-Guyana sets an example”, www.la1ere.francetvinfo.fr, February 20, 2019, https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/tabac-reunion-mauvaise-eleve-antilles-guyane-montrent-exemple-data-681749.html

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