[The characteristic of a smoker at the elderly age].

INTRODUCTION

Smoking is the most important modifiable risk factor for diseases which are not infectious (hypertension, ischemic heart disease, COPD, cancer) in both young and elderly people. In Poland 33.5% of men (5.2 million) and 21% of women (3.5 million), including 27% (8.7 million) of adult Poles still smoke every day. A tobacco smoker at his middle age loses on average almost 22 years of life, people at the age of 70 or more years on average 8 years. Therefore, the promotion of healthy behaviour in Poland, including giving up smoking, was included in the health programmes within the European Union and the National Health Programme for the years 2016-2020. The aim of the study was to present the characteristics of smoking among elderly people.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

104 women (55.3%) and 84 men (44.7%) took part in the study. The analysis of demographic data, the history of smoking, and health tests were conducted among the participants of the study.

RESULTS

The project involved 188 people. The average age of respondents was 69.3 years ± 5.3. People with secondary education 62.2% dominated in the study. Statistically significantly more women smoked a pack of cigarettes a day than men (p=0.036). Almost 10% of men smoked 2 packs of cigarettes significantly more often than women (p=0.001). There were no statistically significant differences among men and women, smoking over 40 cigarettes daily (p<0.05). Women at average smoked for 42 years ± 10.3, and men for 52.5 years ± 7.1 (p=0.001). Regardless of the sex of the respondents maximum period of smoking was the same – 63 years. The men began smoking in elementary school (13%) significantly more often than women in the same age group (2%) (p=0.001). A significant majority of men (86.9%) than women (51%) started smoking before the age of 20 (p=0.001). A group of 10,6% of women started smoking cigarettes between the age of 51-60, which was not observed in men (p<0.05). Men twice more suffered from emphysema and heart attack than women (p=0.001). Both smoking women and men suffered equally from hypertension, COPD and coronary heart disease (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Elderly current smokers started smoking in elementary school, and smoke an average of a pack of cigarettes daily for their whole adult life. The result of a long period of smoking is tobacco-related disease, and strong addiction to nicotine. This state can only be changed by the long-term anti-smoking programmes promoting cessation of tobacco use at all ages.