Background: To examine the relationship of subjective health with time since smoking cessation and amount and duration of tobacco consumption among male ex-smokers.
Methods: Pooled analysis of three household interview surveys conducted in 1993 (n = 8,494), 1995 (n = 2,556), and 1997 (n = 2,624) on samples representative of the noninstitutionalized population aged 16 and over in Spain.
Results: After controlling for the main confounders, ex-smokers with smoking burden < or =13 pack-years had a lower frequency of suboptimal health (fair, poor, or very poor) than current smokers (OR, 0.59; 95% Cl, 0.38-0.91) during the first year after cessation; thereafter, it reached a value similar to that of never-smokers 11 years or more after cessation. Among those with burden >13 pack-years, frequency of suboptimal health during the first year after cessation was higher than in current smokers (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.00-1.63). Afterwards, it fell progressively, approaching the value of never-smokers 11 years or more after cessation. Frequency of suboptimal health in ex-smokers increased with duration (years) of smoking (P linear trend = 0.045), but did not vary with the number of cigarettes smoked.
Conclusions: Suboptimal health declined with time since smoking cessation, to reach the frequency of never-smokers. Longer duration of tobacco consumption is associated with worse subjective health.
Copyright 2002 American Health Foundation and Elsevier Science (USA)