Former smokers with long duration of smoking history at risk for poor health later in life
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Smoking history and duration impact current health measures among former smokers aged 65 years and older, according to new data published in the National Health Statistics Report.
The current study looked at data from the 2018 National Health Interview Survey to assess the health of former cigarette smokers aged 65 years and older. The percentage with fair or poor health, COPD, four or more chronic health conditions and social limitations aided in estimations of an individual’s health.
“Levels of current cigarette smoking in 2018 were lowest among adults aged 65 and over compared with younger ages,” Ellen A. Kramarow, PhD, demographer with the CDC, wrote. “However, nearly 40% of people in this age group reported being a former smoker. The smoking history of former smokers appears to be relevant to their current health.”
A total of 49.4% of men and 30.6% of women aged adults 65 years and older were former cigarette smokers, with nearly 25% having smoked for 40 years or more.
Compared with older adults who never smoked, former smokers had higher levels of fair or poor health (23.8% vs. 19.3%), COPD (19% vs. 7.3%) and four or more chronic health conditions (20.7% vs. 14.5%), including hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer or asthma, among others. Compared with former smokers, current smokers had similar levels of fair or poor heath (23.8% vs. 27.3%), four or more chronic health conditions (20.7% vs. 20.9%) and social limitations (11.8% vs. 11%).
Among individuals aged 65 years and older who reporting a smoking history, more than half smoked for more than 25 years, 31% smoked for 25 to 40 years, 27.6% smoked for more than 10 years but less than 25 years, 23% smoked for 40 or more years and 18% smoked for 10 years or less. Former smokers with a longer duration of smoking history had increased levels of fair or poor health, COPD, four or more chronic health conditions and social limitations. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, Kramarow reported that 28.5% of former smokers with a smoking history of 40 years or more reported fair or poor health compared with 17.8% of former smokers with a smoking history of 10 years or less.
According to Kramarow, these results are consistent with current research that demonstrated the earlier a smoker quits, the lower the risk for adverse health outcomes.
“Quitting smoking has been shown to be beneficial for health at any age. Even after quitting, however, the length of time a person smoked is reflected in the health of adults aged 65 and over,” Kramarow wrote. “Health behaviors earlier in life affect health at older ages. Considering smoking history among former smokers may provide useful information when evaluating overall health status.”