Smoking and weight change after new health diagnoses in older adults.
TL;DR: Across a range of health conditions, new diagnoses can serve as a window of opportunity that prompts older adults to change health habits, in particular, to quit smoking.
Abstract: Background Smoking and patterns of diet and activity are the 2 leading underlying causes of death in the United States, yet the factors that prompt individuals to adopt healthier habits are not well understood. Methods This study was undertaken to determine whether individuals who have experienced recent adverse health events are more likely to quit smoking or to lose weight than those without recent events using Health and Retirement Study panel survey data for 20 221 overweight or obese individuals younger than 75 years and 7764 smokers from 1992 to 2000. Results In multivariate analyses, adults with recent diagnoses of stroke, cancer, lung disease, heart disease, or diabetes mellitus were 3.2 times more likely to quit smoking than were individuals without new diagnoses ( P P P Conclusions Across a range of health conditions, new diagnoses can serve as a window of opportunity that prompts older adults to change health habits, in particular, to quit smoking. Quality improvement efforts targeting secondary as well as primary prevention through the health care system are likely well founded.
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TL;DR: Undergoing surgery is associated with an increased likelihood of smoking cessation in the older U.S. population and the concept that surgery is a teachable moment for smoking cessation is supported.
Abstract: Background A "teachable moment" is an event that motivates spontaneous behavior change. Some evidence suggests that major surgery for a smoking-related illness can serve as a teachable moment for smoking cessation. This study tested the hypotheses that surgery increases the likelihood of smoking cessation and that cessation is more likely after major surgical procedures compared with outpatient surgery. Methods Secondary analyses were performed of longitudinal biennial survey data (1992-2004) from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study of U.S. adults older than 50 yr, determining the relationship between the incidence of smoking cessation and the occurrence of surgery. Results Five thousand four hundred ninety-eight individuals reported current smoking at enrollment, and 2,444 of them (44.5%) quit smoking during the period of examination. The incidence of quitting in smokers undergoing major surgery was 20.6/100 person-years of follow-up and 10.2/100 person-years in those undergoing outpatient surgery. In a multivariate negative binomial regression model, the incidence rate ratio of quitting associated with major surgery was 2.02 (95% CI: 1.67-2.44) and that of those associated with outpatient surgery was 1.28 (95% CI: 1.09-1.50). Estimates derived from national surgical utilization data show that approximately 8% of all quit events in the United States annually can be attributed to the surgical procedures analyzed. Conclusions Undergoing surgery is associated with an increased likelihood of smoking cessation in the older U.S. population. Cessation is more likely in association with major procedures compared with outpatient surgery. These data support the concept that surgery is a teachable moment for smoking cessation.
184 citations
Cites methods or result from "Smoking and weight change after new..."
...medical diagnosis, shown to be a strong independent predictor of cessation in previous work using the HRS dataset.(6)...
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...A major surgery approximately doubled the likelihood of quitting smoking, an effect that was independent of the previously noted effect of major medical diagnosis in multivariate analysis.(6) Only three types of major surgery were analyzed in this study, because information about other types of major surgery is not available in the HRS data....
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TL;DR: Results provide important new information on health behavior changes among those with chronic disease and suggest that intensive efforts are required to help initiate and maintain lifestyle improvements among this population.
Abstract: Objectives Understanding lifestyle improvements among individuals with chronic illness is vital for targeting interventions that can increase longevity and improve quality of life. Methods Data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study were used to examine changes in smoking, alcohol use, and exercise 2-14 years after a diagnosis of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, or lung disease. Results Patterns of behavior change following diagnosis indicated that the vast majority of individuals diagnosed with a new chronic condition did not adopt healthier behaviors. Smoking cessation among those with heart disease was the largest observed change, but only 40% of smokers quit. There were no significant increases in exercise for any health condition. Changes in alcohol consumption were small, with significant declines in excessive drinking and increases in abstention for a few health conditions. Over the long term, individuals who made changes appeared to maintain those changes. Latent growth curve analyses up to 14 years after diagnosis showed no average long-term improvement in health behaviors. Discussion Results provide important new information on health behavior changes among those with chronic disease and suggest that intensive efforts are required to help initiate and maintain lifestyle improvements among this population.
144 citations
Cites background from "Smoking and weight change after new..."
...The present paper joins a handful of prospective studies that have investigated health behavior over several years (Falba, 2005; Keenan, 2009; Twardella et al., 2006; van Gool et al., 2007) but provides a more comprehensive look at changes in smoking, exercise, and alcohol consumption among…...
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...The present paper joins a handful of prospective studies that have investigated health behavior over several years (Falba, 2005; Keenan, 2009; Twardella et al., 2006; van Gool et al., 2007) but provides a more comprehensive look at changes in smoking, exercise, and alcohol consumption among individuals newly diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and lung disease....
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...Individuals diagnosed with a serious health condition were more likely to have quit smoking than those who had not been diagnosed with illness two (Keenan, 2009) and six years later (Falba, 2005)....
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TL;DR: Little evidence that a cancer diagnosis motivates health-protective changes among UK cancer survivors is found, and strategies for effective support for behaviour change in cancer survivors need to be identified.
Abstract: A healthy lifestyle following a cancer diagnosis may improve long-term outcomes. No studies have examined health behaviour change among UK cancer survivors, or tracked behaviours over time in survivors and controls. We assessed smoking, alcohol and physical activity at three times (0–2 years before a cancer diagnosis, 0–2 years post-diagnosis and 2–4 years post-diagnosis) and at matched times in a comparison group. Data were from waves 1–5 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; a cohort of older adults in England. Behavioural measures were taken at each wave. Generalised estimating equations were used to examine differences by group and time, and group-by-time interactions. Of the 5146 adults included in the analyses, 433 (8.4%) were diagnosed with cancer. Those with a cancer diagnosis were less likely to be physically active (P<0.01) and more likely to be sedentary (P<0.001). There were no group differences in alcohol or smoking. Smoking, alcohol and activity reduced over time in the whole group. Group-by-time interactions were not significant for smoking (P=0.17), alcohol (P=0.20), activity (P=0.17) or sedentary behaviour (P=0.86), although there were trends towards a transient improvement from pre-diagnosis to immediately post-diagnosis. We found little evidence that a cancer diagnosis motivates health-protective changes. Given the importance of healthy lifestyles, strategies for effective support for behaviour change in cancer survivors need to be identified.
120 citations
Cites background from "Smoking and weight change after new..."
...For two of the studies, this could be because the comparison group was not only free of a cancer diagnosis, but also free from heart disease, diabetes, stroke and lung disease, and these conditions could also contribute to the motivation to change (Keenan, 2009; Newsom et al, 2012a)....
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...Previous research has found evidence for higher rates of smoking cessation following a cancer diagnosis (Falba, 2005; Keenan, 2009; Karlsen et al, 2012; Newsom et al, 2012a)....
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...One analysed data only on smokers and found significantly higher odds of quitting in the 2 years after a cancer diagnosis compared with smokers without any serious diagnosis (Keenan, 2009)....
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TL;DR: Results support the hypothesis that a cancer diagnosis presents a teachable moment that can be capitalized on to promote cessation, and a diagnosis of cancer, even a cancer not strongly related to smoking and with a relatively good prognosis, may be associated with increased quitting well after diagnosis.
Abstract: Purpose Quitting smoking provides important health benefits to patients with cancer. A cancer diagnosis may motivate quitting—potentially providing a teachable moment in which oncologists can encourage and assist patients to quit—but little is known about whether a recent cancer diagnosis (including diagnosis of a cancer that is less strongly linked to smoking) is associated with increased quitting. Methods Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort participants reported smoking status at enrollment in 1992 to 1993 and approximately biennially through 2009. Quit rates of smokers diagnosed with cancer during 2- and 4-year intervals were compared with those of smokers not diagnosed with cancer (12,182 and 12,538 smokers in 2- and 4-year analyses, respectively). Cancers likely to cause physical limitations or symptoms that could influence smoking (cancers of the lung, head and neck, esophagus, or any metastatic cancer) were excluded. Logistic regressions calculated quit rates controlling for age, sex, surve...
102 citations
TL;DR: The more-educated are the least likely to smoke and most likely to be physically active in middle age and they are alsomost likely to make healthy changes overall and better adhere to them.
Abstract: Although the better-educated are more likely to practice healthy behaviors when measured at one point in time, there is no clear evidence regarding whether more educated people are more likely to initiate healthy behavior changes in the face of new chronic conditions and whether they are better able to adhere to these healthy changes, once made. I use data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) (1992-2010) to examine smoking cessation and starting physical activity by educational attainment over an 18-year period among 16,606 respondents ages 50 to 75. The more-educated are the least likely to smoke and most likely to be physically active in middle age. They are also most likely to make healthy changes overall and better adhere to them. Education also shapes behavior change after a new diagnosis, which likely contributes to socioeconomic status differences in chronic disease management and health outcomes.
96 citations
Additional excerpts
...E-mail: rachel.margolis@uwo.ca...
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TL;DR: Current patterns of overweight and obesity in the United States could account for 14 percent of all deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of those in women, and increased body weight was associated with increased death rates for all cancers combined and for cancers at multiple specific sites.
Abstract: background The influence of excess body weight on the risk of death from cancer has not been fully characterized. methods In a prospectively studied population of more than 900,000 U.S. adults (404,576 men and 495,477 women) who were free of cancer at enrollment in 1982, there were 57,145 deaths from cancer during 16 years of follow-up. We examined the relation in men and women between the body-mass index in 1982 and the risk of death from all cancers and from cancers at individual sites, while controlling for other risk factors in multivariate proportional-hazards models. We calculated the proportion of all deaths from cancer that was attributable to overweight and obesity in the U.S. population on the basis of risk estimates from the current study and national estimates of the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the U.S. adult population. results The heaviest members of this cohort (those with a body-mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters] of at least 40) had death rates from all cancers combined that were 52 percent higher (for men) and 62 percent higher (for women) than the rates in men and women of normal weight. For men, the relative risk of death was 1.52 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.13 to 2.05); for women, the relative risk was 1.62 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.40 to 1.87). In both men and women, body-mass index was also significantly associated with higher rates of death due to cancer of the esophagus, colon and rectum, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and kidney; the same was true for death due to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and multiple myeloma. Significant trends of increasing risk with higher body-mass-index values were observed for death from cancers of the stomach and prostate in men and for death from cancers of the breast, uterus, cervix, and ovary in women. On the basis of associations observed in this study, we estimate that current patterns of overweight and obesity in the United States could account for 14 percent of all deaths from cancer in men and 20 percent of those in women. conclusions Increased body weight was associated with increased death rates for all cancers combined and for cancers at multiple specific sites.
7,095 citations
"Smoking and weight change after new..." refers background in this paper
...Use of selfreported data about health behaviors is common in the research literature, however.(11,14,16,23) Furthermore, changes in question wording and sample size limitations prevented analysis of changes in other important health behaviors such as changes in exercise patterns and in alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers....
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TL;DR: The most prominent contributors to mortality in the United States in 1990 were tobacco, diet and activity patterns, alcohol, microbial agents, toxic agents, firearms, sexual behavior, motor vehicles, and illicit use of drugs.
Abstract: Objective. —To identify and quantify the major external (nongenetic) factors that contribute to death in the United States. Data Sources. —Articles published between 1977 and 1993 were identified through MEDLINE searches, reference citations, and expert consultation. Government reports and compilations of vital statistics and surveillance data were also obtained. Study Selection. —Sources selected were those that were often cited and those that indicated a quantitative assessment of the relative contributions of various factors to mortality and morbidity. Data Extraction. —Data used were those for which specific methodological assumptions were stated. A table quantifying the contributions of leading factors was constructed using actual counts, generally accepted estimates, and calculated estimates that were developed by summing various individual estimates and correcting to avoid double counting. For the factors of greatest complexity and uncertainty (diet and activity patterns and toxic agents), a conservative approach was taken by choosing the lower boundaries of the various estimates. Data Synthesis. —The most prominent contributors to mortality in the United States in 1990 were tobacco (an estimated 400000 deaths), diet and activity patterns (300 000), alcohol (100 000), microbial agents (90 000), toxic agents (60 000), firearms (35 000), sexual behavior (30 000), motor vehicles (25 000), and illicit use of drugs (20 000). Socioeconomic status and access to medical care are also important contributors, but difficult to quantify independent of the other factors cited. Because the studies reviewed used different approaches to derive estimates, the stated numbers should be viewed as first approximations. Conclusions. —Approximately half of all deaths that occurred in 1990 could be attributed to the factors identified. Although no attempt was made to further quantify the impact of these factors on morbidity and quality of life, the public health burden they impose is considerable and offers guidance for shaping health policy priorities. (JAMA. 1993;270:2207-2212)
5,468 citations
TL;DR: These analyses show that smoking remains the leading cause of mortality in the United States, however, poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the lead cause of death.
Abstract: ContextModifiable behavioral risk factors are leading causes of mortality in
the United States. Quantifying these will provide insight into the effects
of recent trends and the implications of missed prevention opportunities.ObjectivesTo identify and quantify the leading causes of mortality in the United
States.DesignComprehensive MEDLINE search of English-language articles that identified
epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory studies linking risk behaviors and
mortality. The search was initially restricted to articles published during
or after 1990, but we later included relevant articles published in 1980 to
December 31, 2002. Prevalence and relative risk were identified during the
literature search. We used 2000 mortality data reported to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention to identify the causes and number of deaths.
The estimates of cause of death were computed by multiplying estimates of
the cause-attributable fraction of preventable deaths with the total mortality
data.Main Outcome MeasuresActual causes of death.ResultsThe leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435 000 deaths;
18.1% of total US deaths), poor diet and physical inactivity (400 000
deaths; 16.6%), and alcohol consumption (85 000 deaths; 3.5%). Other
actual causes of death were microbial agents (75 000), toxic agents (55 000),
motor vehicle crashes (43 000), incidents involving firearms (29 000),
sexual behaviors (20 000), and illicit use of drugs (17 000).ConclusionsThese analyses show that smoking remains the leading cause of mortality.
However, poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the
leading cause of death. These findings, along with escalating health care
costs and aging population, argue persuasively that the need to establish
a more preventive orientation in the US health care and public health systems
has become more urgent.
4,980 citations
Journal Article•
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TL;DR: The Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD Working Group on Statistics for Sustainable Development (WGSSD) was commissioned by the CES in 2005 to develop a broad conceptual framework for measuring sustainable development based on the capital approach, and to identify a small set of indicators that could serve for international comparisons.
Abstract: 1. The Joint UNECE/Eurostat/OECD Working Group on Statistics for Sustainable Development (WGSSD) was commissioned by the CES in 2005 to develop a broad conceptual framework for measuring sustainable development based on the capital approach, and to identify a small set of indicators that could serve for international comparisons. As a result of its two years of work, the WGSSD prepared a Report on Measuring Sustainable Development. The WGSSD noted in the Report the need for further conceptual and methodological development to refine certain elements of the capital approach. The final version of the Report will be made available before the end of 2008. A print version is expected to be available by March 2009. With the finalization of this Report, the mandate of the WGSSD is fulfilled. 2. In February 2008, the CES Bureau reviewed the Report and recognized that many issues remain unresolved and can be further developed. The Bureau agreed on a proposal that a new Task Force be created. The proposal was presented to the plenary session of the CES in June 2008. The CES expressed general support for continuing the work in this area and recommended that the Bureau discuss how to proceed further at its October 2008 meeting. 3. In October 2008, the CES Bureau reviewed the first draft version of the Terms of Reference and provided a more detailed guidance on the work of a future Task Force. The Bureau made the following main recommendations: (a) The indicators should be useful for policy makers and should allow comparison across time; (b) The refinement of the small set of capital indicators should continue; (c) The areas of social and human capital should be further developed.
4,250 citations