Examining the Association of Social Isolation and Smoking in Older Adults

Background: Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death among older adults, but few studies have examined social isolation as a risk factor for smoking in US. older adults. Methods: Using National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data, we conducted multivariate analyses of smoking...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of applied gerontology Vol. 42; no. 11; pp. 2261 - 2267
Main Authors Gimm, Gilbert, Pomeroy, Mary Louise, Galiatsatos, Panagis, Cudjoe, Thomas K. M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.11.2023
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Aged
Aging
Humans
Mental depression
Multivariate Analysis
Older people
Risk Factors
Smoking
Smoking - epidemiology
Social Isolation
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Background: Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death among older adults, but few studies have examined social isolation as a risk factor for smoking in US. older adults. Methods: Using National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) data, we conducted multivariate analyses of smoking in a sample of 8136 adults ages 65 and older. Results: Social isolation and severe isolation were associated with higher odds of smoking (OR: 2.48 and 5.48, p = 0.002 and p < 0.001). Individuals with mild (OR: 1.46, p = 0.006), moderate (OR: 1.80, p = 0.001), or severe (OR: 3.05, p = 0.001) symptoms of depression/anxiety also had higher odds of smoking. Conclusions: Social isolation is a significant risk factor for smoking in US older adults. Further research is needed to support the development of interventions to reduce social isolation and smoking behavior in older adults.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0733-4648
1552-4523
DOI:10.1177/07334648231180786