The Influence of Smoking Status on the Health Profiles of Older Chinese American Men

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of smoking status on the health profiles of community-dwelling older Chinese American men in the greater Chicago, IL, area. DESIGN: This study utilized a cross-sectional study design to analyze data obtained from the larger Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE). SETTING: A population-based study conducted in Chicago. PARTICIPANTS: Baseline data from Chinese American men who participated in PINE (N = 1492). MEASURES: Demographic characteristics measured included age, education years, marital status, income, health insurance coverage, and smoking pack-years. Self-reported smoking status included never smoker, current smoker, and former smoker. Health profile indicators included perceived health status, past 12-month changes in health, chronic medical conditions (heart diseases, stroke, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, and osteoarthritis), quality of life, and depression and anxiety. RESULTS: The mean age of the study sample was 72.5 years. Of the sample, 65% reported a smoking history, with 25.1% current smokers and 40.1% former smokers. Current smokers were younger, less educated, and uninsured. Former smokers had the poorest overall health profiles. Compared to former smokers, current smokers were less likely to have heart disease (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.39-0.90), hypertension (OR = 0.54; 95% CI = 0.41-0.72), high cholesterol (OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.56-0.99), thyroid disease (OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.21-0.90), depression (rate ratio [RR] = 0.76; 95% CI = 0.58-0.99), and anxiety (RR = 0.72; 95% CI = 0.59-0.89), and they had fewer overall chronic medical conditions (RR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.70-0.88) after controlling for demographic factors and smoking pack-year history. Compared to never smokers, former and current smokers reported poorer self-rated health (OR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.11-2.26) and lower perceived quality of life (OR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.04-4.29). CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior research, smoking rates were elevated among this sample of older Chinese men. Counter to study hypotheses, former smokers had worse overall health. Study findings suggest the need for health promotion interventions for both current and former smokers. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:S577-S583, 2019.

Association of Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption with Depression Severity in the Oldest Old. Results from the Age Different Old Age Cohort Platform

“…Our findings are consistent with previous research linking smoking to poor physical and mental health [15,18,19,[48][49][50][51][52][53]. Specifically, it has been shown that both current and former smokers are at increased risk for depression [31].…”

“…With regard to the risk of late life depression, very few studies have examined the association between substance consumption behavior and the risk of late life depression [14][15][16]. While there is evidence that smoking is associated with severity of depression in older individuals [15,[17][18][19], research findings are inconsistent regarding alcohol consumption. A number of studies found no association between depressive symptoms and alcohol consumption [14,15,[20][21][22][23], while some researchers found an inverse association between alcohol use and depression severity [24,25].…”

Comment on the Influence of Smoking Status on the Health Profiles of Older Chinese American Men

“…To the Editor: We would like to thank Flores and Simon for their interest in our initial letter regarding the Home-Oriented Ultrasound Examination (HOUSE) protocol. 1 They raise several opportunities for additional point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) modalities as useful in the home visit including examinations of soft tissue, the musculoskeletal system, and the abdomen. 2 Our initial cohort of 16 patients was drawn from a population heavily composed of those receiving highdose diuretic therapy at home (75%).…”

Advancing Asian Health Equity: Multimodal Approach to Translate Research into Practice and Policy

“…Regarding social relationships, three articles concentrate on various facets of the social contexts of Chinese families including filial piety from the perspectives of the older adult and their adult children and older adults' capability for social engagement . Lastly, two articles explore patterns of health behaviors among Chinese older adults to understand potential predictors and consequences of certain health behaviors …”