Factors Associated With Sustained Smoking After Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis In Korean Men

Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are strongly recommended to stop smoking to improve health outcomes. The goal of this study was to analyze factors associated with continual smoking behavior among the newly diagnosed T2DM in Korean men. The study population consisted of smokers who were newly diagnosed with T2DM between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2011 from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) national health screening cohort database. Participants at the baseline were categorized into heavy, moderate and light smokers based on the questionnaire regarding smoking status. We analyzed factors associated with continual smoking behavior after diagnosis of T2DM using multivariate logistic regression adjusted for age, socioeconomic status, disability, smoking status, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), hypertension. Age, socioeconomic status, smoking amount, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and hypertension were identified as Factors associated with sustained smoking even after diagnosis of T2DM. Older men (65 to 80 years old) were more likely to quit after diagnosis of T2DM compared to younger men (40 to 64 years old) (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 0.71, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.64-0.79). Smokers with a higher CCI score (1 or more) were more likely to quit compared to those with a low CCI score (0) (aOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79-0.95). In contrast, smokers in the lower half of socioeconomic status (aOR 1.30, 95% CI 1.18-1.42), those who smoked greater amounts, (moderate smoking: OR 1.52, 95% CI =1.35-1.72; heavy smoking: OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.67-2.17), those with hypertension (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.12-1.42) were more likely to continue to smoke after diagnosis of diabetes. Customized education and more clinical attention for smoking cessation maybe required for newly diagnosed T2DM patients.