Abstract
BackgroundHigher smoking prevalence in people with serious psychological distress (SPD) is well-recognized. However, gender and age differences in the association between heaviness of cigarette smoking and SPD have not been fully investigated.MethodsWe used anonymized data from a nationally representative survey in Japan (33,925 men and 37,257 women). SPD was measured using the Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale and defined as ≥ 13 points. Multiple logistic regression analyses stratified by gender and age-groups (20–44 years, 45–64 years, and ≥ 65 years) were used to estimate adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for SPD.ResultsAfter adjusting for sociodemographic confounders including education, equivalent household expenditures, and employment contract, women had a significant association between heavier smoking and more frequent SPD: compared to never-smokers, aORs (95% CIs) of ex-smokers, current light smokers who smoked 1–10 cigarettes per day (CPD), current moderate smokers 11–20 CPD, and current heavy smokers ≥ 21 CPD were 1.22 (0.92–1.63), 1.52 (1.25–1.84), 1.75 (1.46–2.09), and 2.22 (1.59–3.10), respectively (P-trend < 0.001). A significant positive association among women was consistent across all age-groups. Among men, there was no association between heaviness of cigarette smoking and SPD in all age-groups, and only current heavy smokers aged 20–44 years had a significantly higher OR for SPD (aOR, 1.37 [95% CI, 1.02–1.85]) than never-smokers.ConclusionsThere was a positive association between heaviness of cigarette smoking and SPD only among women, but not among men. For female smokers experiencing mental disorders, there is a need not only to improve mental health services but also to improve smoking-cessation support.
Highlights
Higher smoking prevalence in people with serious psychological distress (SPD) is well-recognized
It is well known that current cigarette smoking prevalence is higher in men than in women and in younger age-groups than in older age-groups [1, 4, 6, 9], while the prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD) is higher in women than in men [5, 6, 10, 11]
In the present study, using the latest anonymized data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey in Japan, we investigated an association between heaviness of cigarette smoking and the prevalence of those with SPD
Summary
Higher smoking prevalence in people with serious psychological distress (SPD) is well-recognized. It is well known that current cigarette smoking prevalence is higher in men than in women and in younger age-groups than in older age-groups [1, 4, 6, 9], while the prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD) is higher in women than in men [5, 6, 10, 11]. Tomioka et al Harm Reduct J (2021) 18:27 gender and age differences in the association between current cigarette smoking and SPD are not consistent with previous studies, which reported a stronger association for women than for men [3], no gender differences [4, 5], and a significant association only for women [12], young people [5], or older adults [4, 7]. Verifying gender and age differences in the association between heaviness of cigarette smoking and SPD can inform effective tobacco control efforts, which would target high-risk groups, while addressing the needs of the general population
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