Impact of the transition to retirement on smoking habit: longitudinal results from SHARE project

Abstract

Abstract Background In an ageing society, the impact of retirement on behavioural risk factors and health status needs to be carefully assessed. There are few longitudinal studies on the short-term and long-term effects of retirement on smoking habits. Methods A longitudinal study was conducted based on data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) collected between 2004 and 2020 in 27 European countries and Israel. A repeated measure generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was fitted to estimate the relative risks (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of smoking status and its intensity at seven different time periods before and after retirement. Results We selected a cohort of 8,998 individuals who were employed at baseline and retired during follow-up (median follow-up: 9 years; maximum: 16 years). Compared to the year of retirement, the RR for smoking was 1.59 (95% CI 1.44-1.76) 10 years before retirement and 1.35 (95% CI 1.25-1.46) from 5 to 9 years before retirement, and 1.18 (95% CI 1.10-1.27) from 1 to 4 years before retirement. Smoking habits decreased steadily after retirement, with a RR of 0.94 (95% CI 0.87-1.01) from 1 to 4 years after retirement, 0.76 (95% CI 0.69-0.84) from 5 to 9 years, and 0.58 (95% CI 0.46 to 0.74) 10 years or more after retirement. For ever-smokers, the estimated daily number of cigarettes smoked decreased from about 27 cigarettes/day at 10 years or more before retirement to 9 cigarettes/day at 10 years or more after retirement (p-trend <0.001). Conclusions Longitudinal data suggest that positive lifestyle changes and adaptations may occur as people reach retirement age. Further research is needed to better guide strategies that promote healthy ageing. Key messages • Our findings indicate that retirement has a positive impact on smoking habits, regardless of geographical and individual sociodemographic factors. • This study is the first to examine the short- and long-term effects of retirement transition on risky behavior among a large European retiree cohort using SHARE data.