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Background: Within the European Union (EU), substantial efforts are being made to achieve economic and social cohesion, and the reduction of health inequalities between EU regions is integral to this process. This paper is the first to examine how self-reported conditions and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) vary spatially between and within countries. Methods: Using 2014 European Social Survey (ESS) data from 20 countries, this paper examines how regional inequalities in self-reported conditions and NCDs vary for men and women in 174 regions (levels 1 and 2 Nomenclature of Statistical Territorial Units, 'NUTS'). We document absolute and relative inequalities across Europe in the prevalence of eight conditions: general health, overweight/obesity, mental health, heart or circulation problems, high blood pressure, back, neck, muscular or joint pain, diabetes and cancer. Results: There is considerable inequality in self-reported conditions and NCDs between the regions of Europe, with rates highest in the regions of continental Europe, some Scandinavian regions and parts of the UK and lowest around regions bordering the Alps, in Ireland and France. However, for mental health and cancer, rates are highest in regions of Eastern European and lowest in some Nordic regions, Ireland and isolated regions in continental Europe. There are also widespread and consistent absolute and relative regional inequalities in all conditions within countries. These are largest in France, Germany and the UK, and smallest in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. There were higher inequalities amongst women. Conclusion: Using newly available harmonized morbidity data from across Europe, this paper shows that there are considerable regional inequalities within and between European countries in the distribution of self-reported conditions and NCDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context/problem: Comparative analysis of relative and absolute mortality differentials between socioeconomic groups are now available. These show consistently increasing relative increases in mortality differentials but complex trends in absolute mortality differentials. Objective: This paper provides an analysis of relative and absolute trends in mortality by cause of death and socioeconomic group (SEG) from 1984 to 2008 among men and active women aged 30-64 years in Ireland and compares these results with recent European and US studies to give an overview of trends. Methods: This paper uses mortality data from the Irish Central Statistics Office from 1984 to 2008 to calculate standardized death rates by age, sex, socioeconomic status and cause of death showing trends in SEG inequalities in mortality in Ireland. These show which specific causes of death are driving all-cause mortality trends. Results: SEG differentials in all-cause mortality among men and women have been increasing since the 1980s. Some of this increase reflects larger falls in cardiovascular causes among advantaged groups, but the trend is largely accounted for by increasing inequalities in mortality in digestive, neoplasm and external causes of deaths. Conclusions: These findings are in line with international findings that show that socioeconomic differentials in digestive, neoplasm and external cause deaths are driving general socioeconomic differentials in all-cause mortality. External cause deaths may have been influenced by levels of economic activity, particularly in construction, during the economic boom among manual workers. Furthermore, deaths from digestive diseases during the 1990s and 2000s may well be the result of increases in liver disease associated with excessive alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the differential impact of comprehensive and partial smoke-free legislation on smoking cessation. This study aimed to examine the impact of comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in Ireland and England, and partial hospitality industry legislation in the Netherlands on quit attempts and quit success. Methods: Nationally representative samples of 2,219 adult smokers were interviewed in three countries as part of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Europe Surveys. Quit attempts and quit success were compared between period 1 (in which smoke-free legislation was implemented in Ireland and the Netherlands) and period 2 (in which smoke-free legislation was implemented in England). Results: In Ireland, significantly more smokers attempted to quit smoking in period 1 (50.5%) than in period 2 (36.4%) (p < 0.001). Percentages of quit attempts and quit success did not change significantly between periods in the Netherlands. English smokers were significantly more often successful in their quit attempt in period 2 (47.3%) than in period 1 (26.4%) (p = 0.011). In the first period there were more quit attempts in Ireland than in England and fewer in the Netherlands than in Ireland. Fewer smokers quitted successfully in the second period in both Ireland and the Netherlands than in England. Conclusion: The comprehensive smoke-free legislation in Ireland and England may have had positive effects on quit attempts and quit success respectively. The partial smoke-free legislation in the Netherlands probably had no effect on quit attempts or quit success. Therefore, it is recommended that countries implement comprehensive smoke-free legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]