Gender, Tobacco Control and Elderly Persistent Smoking in Europe

Sep.14.2022
Gender, Tobacco Control and Elderly Persistent Smoking in Europe
The study analyzed the impact of gender and tobacco control policies on persistent smoking in older adults across 11 European countries.

A recently published study, titled "Gender, tobacco control policies, and sustained smoking among older adults: A longitudinal analysis of 11 European countries," gathered data from participants aged 50 and above who have a history of smoking and at least one smoking-related health condition from two surveys: the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). The study covered four waves from 2004 to 2013 and utilized gender-specific logistic regression models with fixed effects for both country and year. It also examined the interaction among gender, education, and the transfer control protocol (TCP).


Despite women being less likely to smoke than men, they are more likely to continue smoking once they start. The impact of education and general tobacco control policies only significantly affects women's likelihood of continued smoking. Compared to women with lower levels of education, those with moderate education (odds ratio [OR]=0.63; 0.49-0.82) and higher education (OR=0.57; 0.34-0.98) are less likely to continue smoking. There is a correlation between tobacco control policies and a reduced risk of sustained smoking among women (OR=0.70; 0.51-0.95), with a stronger association among women with lower levels of education.


Older women, especially those with lower levels of education, are more likely to continue smoking. A recent study has found that traditional Chinese medicine is effective in reducing continued smoking among older women, with a greater impact observed among those with lower levels of education.


Smoking Rates Among Japanese Men Decrease


Meanwhile, a study conducted in Japan in 2020 found that the smoking rate among Japanese men has dropped below 30% for the first time, specifically 28.8%.


According to the findings of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, individuals in their 40s smoke the most, with 37.6% of men and 13.4% of women being smokers. However, there is some good news as the overall smoking rate for men has decreased by 2.3 percentage points since the previous survey conducted in 2016, now standing at 28.8%.


According to the National Livelihood Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare every three years, the smoking rate among women has decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 8.8%.


When grouped by age, smokers in their 20s experienced the biggest decrease, with a drop of 4.1 percentage points to 27% among males and a drop of 1.9 percentage points to 8.3% among females.


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