Association of smoking status and health-related quality of life: difference among young, middle-aged, and older adults in Shandong, China.

PURPOSE

Few studies explored the relationship between smoking status and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adults in China. This study aims to explore the relationship between smoking status and HRQOL among adults (18 +) and examine whether there is a difference in this relationship among young, middle-aged, and older adults in China.

METHODS

A total of 23,021 respondents were included in this study. The HRQOL is measured by EQ-5D-3L. The smoking status is divided into never smokers, current smokers, and former smokers. Tobit regression and Logistic regression are employed to explore the association between smoking status and HRQOL. The interaction term is included to explore the difference among young, middle-aged, and older adults.

RESULTS

This study finds smoking status is significantly associated with HRQOL. An interaction analysis shows that the association between smoking status and HRQOL is significantly different among young, middle-aged, and older adults (P < 0.05). The smoking status is only significantly associated with HRQOL in middle-aged and older adults, but not for young adults. Compared with never smokers, former smokers report significantly lower EQ-5D-3L utility value in middle-aged adults (coefficient =  - 0.089; 95%CI - 0.128 to - 0.050), current smokers report significantly higher EQ-5D-3L utility value in older adults (coefficient = 0.041; 95%CI 0.005 to 0.076).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates a significant association between smoking status and HRQOL among adults in China, and there is a difference in this relationship among young, middle-aged, and older adults. The government should take efforts to formulate a variety of measures to control tobacco use among adults.