Relationship between the duration of smoking and blood pressure in Han and ethnic minority populations: a cross-sectional study in China

Yuelun Zhang,Dongping Ning,Yunying Feng,Xianxian Yuan,Huijuan Zhu,Guangliang Shan,Shirui Wang,Shi Chen,Hui Pan,Siyu Liang,Ke Xu

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09975-w

Abstract

BackgroundEvidence for correlation between the cigarette use and blood pressure change remains ambiguous. This study modelled relationship between the duration of smoking and systolic blood pressure in a large national multi-ethnic cross-sectional survey in China.MethodsParticipants were selected through a multi-stage probability sampling procedure from 2012 to 2017. Former or current smokers were included in this study, whose smoking behaviour, blood pressure, and other demographic information were collected and measured through a face-to-face interview. Linear and non-linear relationships between the duration of smoking and systolic blood pressure were analysed and differences of the association between Han and minority populations were specially checked.ResultsA total of 8801 participants were enrolled in this study. Prevalence of hypertension was 41.3 and 77.8% were current smokers. For every additional year of smoking duration, systolic blood pressure raised by 0.325 mmHg (95% CI 0.296 to 0.354 mmHg, P < 0.001). The Chinese minority populations may suffer more from the elevated blood pressure in long-term smoking than Han populations (0.283 mmHg (95% CI 0.252 to 0.314 mmHg, P < 0.001) versus 0.450 mmHg (95% CI 0.380 to 0.520 mmHg, P < 0.001) raise in systolic blood pressure with each additional year of smoking in minority and Han populations).ConclusionsSmoking is associated with raised systolic blood pressure in Chinese population. This association is notedly stronger in Chinese minority populations.

Highlights

Evidence for correlation between the cigarette use and blood pressure change remains ambiguous
Given the controversial associations found in previous studies, this study aimed to analyse the relationship between the duration of smoking and systolic blood pressure in Han and ethnic minority smoking populations based on a large national cross-sectional survey conducted in China
Mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.79 and 41.3% of participants were diagnosed with hypertension or had elevated blood pressure according to the blood pressure measurements in the field survey. 77.8% were current smokers while 22.2% had quitted smoking

Summary

Introduction

Evidence for correlation between the cigarette use and blood pressure change remains ambiguous. This study modelled relationship between the duration of smoking and systolic blood pressure in a large national multi-ethnic cross-sectional survey in China. Ethnic or racial variations in abnormal blood pressure have been noticed [11, 12] These ethical variations are in particular important in China due to a diversity of ethnic groups (the Han and other 55 ethnic minority populations) and socioeconomic conditions in different regions. A large national cross-sectional survey in China reveals that hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control have obvious dissimilarities in different ethnic populations [13]. In addition to these variations in the hypertension, the minority ethnic populations have a significantly higher prevalence of smoking [14]. Previous studies focusing on the effect of smoking on blood pressure did not evaluate if the association between smoking and blood pressure differs in the Han and other ethnic minority populations

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