Study of Effective Factors in the Tendency of Young People to Smoke Hookah in Teahouses in Deprived Areas of Zahedan in 2018 - 2019

Background: Given the increasing trend of hookah use among youth in deprived areas and the increasing number of traditional teahouses serving hookahs, it is critical to investigate the reasons for this issue. Objectives: The aim was to determine the factors affecting the tendency to use hookahs. Methods: This study was conducted in Zahedan City, the capital of Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The sampling method in this study was cluster sampling, such that among 15 traditional teahouses, 4 teahouses were randomly chosen. After referring to each of these teahouses, 1385 questionnaire forms were distributed among all youth, and 300 questionnaire forms were returned. The structured questionnaire consisted of a series of questions about demographic data, favorite flavor, duration of using a hookah, the main reason for hookah smoking, etc. The analysis of the data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics, including mean, SD, and linear regression. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: The results of linear regression showed that the duration of smoking (B = 0.30; 95% CI, 0.22-0.37) and reason for smoking were significantly associated with the rate of hookah smoking (B = 0/56; 95% CI, 0.45 - 0.68). Conclusions: As a result, there is a strong association between smoking duration and the atmosphere of traditional teahouses with the rate of hookah smoking. Thus, other places with a healthy atmosphere (such as gyms and sports clubs) should be made for youths to spend their time.

The Impact of Smoking Risk Factors During Pandemic COVID-19

Background: Based on world health organization, the smoking is a reason of death five–six cases per annum. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the age, marital, education, employment, smoking and social statuses on gender in Bahrain population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, two group: male and female comparative by using questionnaire distributed randomly and collected data to be analyzed via SPSS program. Results: In age status, the female found to be below 30 years whereas the male is above 30 years. In marital status, the single, divorced and widow female found to be more in whereas the married male is more than married female. In education status, the Primary, intermediate and secondary male student found to be more whereas the college female student is more. In employment status, the Employed and Retired status found to be more in male whereas the Employment scholarship program, unemployed and Housewife found to be more in female. In Smoke status, the Smoking duration found to be more in female below 10 years whereas the Smoking duration found to be more male above 10 years. Also, the female Smoker consume found to be more below 20 cigarettes whereas male Smoker consume found to be more above 20 cigarettes. Conclusion: most smokers in both are between 21 to 30 years, college students and employees. Therefore, there are serious age, education and employment phase in both gender life

Epigenome Wide Associations of Smoking Behavior in the Health and Retirement Study

DNA methylation (DNAm) is an increasingly popular biomarker of health and aging outcomes. Smoking behaviors have a significant and well documented correlation with methylation signatures within the epigenome and are important confounding variables to account for in epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS). However, the common classification of individuals as ‘current’, ‘former’, and ‘never’ smokers may miss crucial DNAm patterns associated with other smoking behaviors such as duration, intensity, and frequency of cigarette smoking, resulting in an underestimation of the contribution of smoking behaviors to DNAm and potentially biasing EWAS results. We investigated associations between multiple smoking behavioral phenotypes (smoking pack years, smoking duration, smoking start age, and smoking end age) and single site DNAm using linear regressions adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and cell-type proportions in a subsample of individuals who participated in the HRS 2016 Venous Blood Study (N=1,775). DNAm was measured using the Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip. All 4 phenotypes had significant associations (FDR < 0.05) with many methylation sites (packyears=6859, smoking duration=6572, start age=11374, quit age=773). There was not much overlap in DNAm sites between the full set of models with only 6 overlapping between all 4. However, the phenotypes packyears and smoking duration showed large overlap (N=3782). Results suggest additional smoking phenotypes beyond current/former/never smoker classification should be included in EWAS analyses to appropriately account for the influence of smoking behaviors on DNAm.

Association between serum retinol and overall and cause-specific mortality in a 30-year prospective cohort study

How retinol as a clinical indicator of vitamin A status is related to long-term mortality is unknown. Here we report the results of a prospective analysis examining associations between serum retinol and risk of overall and cause-specific mortality. During a 30-year cohort follow-up, 23,797 deaths were identified among 29,104 men. Participants with higher serum retinol experienced significantly lower overall, CVD, heart disease, and respiratory disease mortality compared to men with the lowest retinol concentrations, reflecting 17–32% lower mortality risk (Ptrend < 0.0001). The retinol-overall mortality association is similar across subgroups of smoking intensity, alcohol consumption, body mass index, trial supplementation, serum alpha-tocopherol and beta-carotene concentrations, and follow-up time. Mediation analysis indicated that <3% of the effects of smoking duration and diabetes mellitus on mortality were mediated through retinol concentration. These findings indicate higher serum retinol is associated with lower overall mortality, including death from cardiovascular, heart, and respiratory diseases.

Effect of Smoking on Coronary Artery Plaques in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Evaluation With Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography

BackgroundThe effect of smoking on coronary artery plaques examined by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients is not fully understood. This study explored the effect of smoking on coronary artery plaques by comparing the characteristics of plaques between diabetes patients with and without a smoking history and among those with different smoking durations.Materials and MethodsIn total, 1058 DM patients found to have coronary plaques on CCTA were categorized into the smoker (n=448) and nonsmoker groups (n=610). Smokers were stratified by smoking duration [≤20 years (n=115), 20~40 years (n=233) and &gt;40 years (n=100)]. The plaque types, luminal stenosis [obstructive (&lt;50%) or nonobstructive (≥50%) stenosis], segment involvement score (SIS), and segment stenosis score (SSS) of the CCTA data were compared among groups.ResultsCompared to nonsmokers, smokers demonstrated increased odds ratios (ORs) of any noncalcified plaques (OR=1.423; P=0.014), obstructive plaques (OR=1.884; P&lt;0.001), multivessel disease (OR=1.491; P=0.020), SIS≥4 (OR=1.662; P&lt;0.001), and SSS≥7 (OR=1.562; P=0.001). Compared to diabetes patients with a smoking duration ≤20 years, those with a smoking duration of 20~40 years and &gt;40 years had higher OR of any mixed plaques (OR=2.623 and 3.052, respectively; Ps&lt;0.001), obstructive plaques (OR=2.004 and 2.098; P=0.003 and 0.008, respectively), multivessel disease (OR=3.171 and 3.784; P&lt;0.001 and P=0.001, respectively), and SSS≥7 (OR=1.605 and 1.950; P=0.044 and 0.020, respectively). Diabetes with a smoking duration &gt;40 years had a higher OR of SIS≥4 (OR=1.916, P=0.034).ConclusionSmoking is independently associated with the presence of noncalcified, obstructive, and more extensive coronary artery plaques in diabetes patients, and a longer smoking duration is significantly associated with a higher risk of mixed, obstructive, and more extensive plaques.

Dose-Response Reduction in Risk of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma From Smoking Cessation: A Multicenter Case-Control Study in Hong Kong, China

BackgroundCigarette smoking is associated with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) risk. Whether quitting reduces the risk is unclear. We investigated the associations of NPC with duration of and age at quitting in an endemic region.MethodsWe investigated the associations between NPC and quitting in a multicenter case-control study in Hong Kong with 676 newly diagnosed NPC cases and 1,285 hospital controls between 2014 and 2017, using a computer-assisted self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable unconditional logistic regression yielded adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of NPC by quitting status, duration and age of quitting, combinations of duration and age of quitting, and quitting to smoking duration ratio, compared with current smoking.ResultsQuitting (AOR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.53–0.98) and never smoking (0.73, 0.56–0.95) were associated with lower NPC risk. NPC risk decreased with (i) longer quitting duration (p &lt; 0.01), reaching significance after 11–20 (0.62, 0.39–0.99) and 21+ years (0.54, 0.31–0.92) of quitting; (ii) younger quitting age (p = 0.01), reaching significance for quitting at &lt;25 years (0.49, 0.24–0.97); and (iii) higher quitting to smoking duration ratio (p &lt; 0.01), reaching significance when the ratio reached 1 (0.60, 0.39–0.93). Quitting younger (age &lt;25) appeared to confer larger reductions (49% for ≤10 years of quitting, 50% for 11+ years) in NPC risk than quitting at older ages (25+) regardless of quitting duration (16% for ≤10 years, 39% for 11+ years).ConclusionsWe have shown longer duration and younger age of quitting were associated with lower NPC risk, with dose-response relations. Our findings support including smoking as a cause of NPC. Stronger tobacco control measures and quitting services are needed to prevent NPC.

The Estimated Effect of Physicians' Advice for Smoking Cessation and Assumed Tobacco Retail Price Increase on Smoker's Intention to Quit in Shanghai, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Tobacco consumption produces a heavy disease burden worldwide, and tobacco price increase, an advertisement for tobacco-induced harm, graphic warning labels on cigarette packages and advice of physicians for quitting are policies that have been proved as effective smoking cessation measures. But evidence on the estimated effect of advice of physicians for quitting and assumed tobacco retail price increase on smoking cessation intention among smokers is still limited in China.Methods: From January to April of 2021, we recruited 664 current smokers in Songjiang district of Shanghai by a multistage sampling design. We implemented a logistic regression analysis to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to explore how smoking cessation intention would be influenced by the assumed tobacco retail price increase as well as advice of physicians for quitting, and used the paired tabulation method to identify the salient tobacco control measures among smokers as well.Results: A total of 664 current smokers included 548 males (82.53%), with an average smoking duration of 22.50 years (SD: 11.52 years). About 68.79 and 43.67% of current smokers reported smoking cessation intention due to advice of physicians for quitting and the assumed tobacco retail price increase, respectively. Logistic regression analysis indicated that female smokers (OR = 2.85 and 4.55), smokers with previous smoking cessation attempt (OR = 3.71 and 3.07), longer smoking duration (OR = 2.26 and 2.68), lower smoking intensity (OR = 1.82 and 1.69), and heavier tobacco burdens (OR = 1.67 and 2.22) had the higher intention of smoking cessation both due to advice of physicians for quitting and due to assumed tobacco price increase, respectively. Meanwhile, the advice of physicians for quitting was more effective and acceptable (over 80%) than the assumed tobacco price increase for inducing smokers to consider quitting in Shanghai.Conclusions: Smokers have a high intention of smoking cessation in Shanghai, and the advice of physicians for quitting is a potentially more salient tobacco control measure than the assumed tobacco retail price increase. Incorporating smoking duration, intensity, personal burden as well as noncommunicable disease (NCD) status of smokers into the implementation of tobacco control measures is beneficial for descending smoking prevalence.

An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Effects of Smoking on Common Carotid Intima-Media Thickness and Resistivity Index Among Current Smokers

Objective: The aim was to assess the structural and hemodynamic effects of smoking on the common carotid arteries (CCAs) in current smokers from Himachal Pradesh. In addition, it was important to determine any association between smoking duration, frequency, pack-years, and the occurrence of common carotid atherosclerosis. Materials and Methods: The study evaluated 50 current smokers for common carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), plaque presence, and resistive index (RI) with sonography. The findings were compared with 50 healthy control patients, who had never smoked. Results: A positive association was observed between smoking and an increase in CIMT ( P = .001) and occurrence of plaques ( P = .007), with substantially higher mean CIMT values in smokers above 45 years ( P < .05) in both genders ( P < .05). No difference in overall RI was seen in both groups taken as a whole, while higher RI values ( P < .05) were noticed in smokers exclusively above 60 years. A positive association was noted between smoking frequency, pack-years, and an increase in CIMT, RI, and occurrence of plaques. For every unit increase in the number of pack-years and smoking duration, there was a 0.01 unit increase in CIMT among the current smokers. Conclusion: This research provides evidence that smoking has a structural impact on CIMT while its hemodynamic effect is still unclear.