Time to First Cigarette and the Risk of Hypertension: A Nationwide Representative Study in Korea.

BACKGROUND

Although previous studies have explored the effect of smoking on blood pressure, little is still known about the role of time to first cigarette (TTFC)-an indicator of nicotine dependence-in hypertension. Therefore, we evaluated this association using representative nationwide data.

METHODS

Current daily smokers (N = 941; aged 19-79 years) who participated in the 7th version of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I (2016) were included. We categorized participants into 4 groups according to their TTFC. Furthermore, we categorized participants into hypertensive and nonhypertensive groups based on whether they were taking antihypertensive medications or had high blood pressure (≥140/90 mm Hg). The association of daily TTFC and hypertension was examined without adjusting for any covariates; after adjusting for smoking behaviors; and after adjusting for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health-related behaviors, and comorbidities.

RESULTS

In the fully adjusted weighted regression analysis, participants reporting TTFC ≤ 5 minutes (vs. >60 minutes) had roughly twice the odds of having hypertension (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07-4.16) and the adjusted odds ratios compared with TTFC of >60 minutes were 1.53 (95% CI = 0.81-2.86) for 6-30 minutes and 1.31 (95% CI = 0.68-2.50) for 31-60 minutes (Ptrend = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Hypertension risk increases with shorter TTFC. Especially, TTFC of ≤5 minutes may prove valuable in assessing the risk of hypertension. Screening smokers based on their TTFC might be useful in assessing their risk of hypertension and smoking cessation programs.