Time to First Cigarette and Self-Reported Health Among US Adult Smokers

Abstract

Background:Numerous studies have reported that shorter time to first cigarette (TTFC) is linked to elevated risk for smoking-related morbidity. However, little is known about the influence of early TTFC on self-reported health among current smokers. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine the association between TTFC and self-reported health among US adult smokers.Methods:Data came from the 2012-2013 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS). Current smokers aged 18 years and older (N = 3323) were categorized into 2 groups based on TTFC: ≤ 5 minutes (n = 1066) and >5 minutes (n = 2257). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control selection bias.Results:After adjusting for sociodemographic and smoking behavior factors, current smokers with early TTFC had higher odds for poor health in comparison with current smokers with late TTFC in the prematching (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-2.08) and postmatching (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.22-2.09) samples.Conclusions:In conclusion, smokers with early TTFC were associated with increased risk of poor health in the United States. To reduce early TTFC, elaborate efforts are needed to educate people about harms of early TTFC and benefits of stopping early TTFC.

Association between Time to First Cigarette and Health-Related Quality of Life of Middle-Aged Male Current Smokers: A Nationwide Representative Study in Korea

“…22) Thus, among the current smokers with high nicotine dependence, which can be identified with shorter TTFC, poor HRQoL could be a useful predictor of smoking-related morbidity. 6) Limited studies have investigated the effects of TTFC on self-reported health. Our findings on the relationship between TTFC and HRQoL are consistent with those of one previous study that used data from the National Adult Tobacco Surveys in the United States.…”

“…Our findings on the relationship between TTFC and HRQoL are consistent with those of one previous study that used data from the National Adult Tobacco Surveys in the United States. 6) However, in the previous study, health status was evaluated using the item, "In general, you would consider your health to be" with five possible answers (i.e., excellent, very good, good, fair, poor). Therefore, it was difficult to directly compare the results of the EQ-5D.…”

“…5) Many studies have shown that TTFC is a powerful indicator of nicotine dependence. 6) Recent studies have reported that early TTFC is associated with hypertension, 7) dyslipidemia, 8) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 9) and smoking-related cancers, such as head and neck cancer 10) and lung cancer. 11) Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between TTFC and HRQoL among Korean adult smokers.…”