Smoking cessation is part of holistic management of type 2 diabetes but prevalence of smoking and smoking cessation in diabetes population is not well known. We aimed to determine prevalence of smokers and ex-smokers and associated factors in older diabetes population in Europe.

A sample of European population ≥50 years of age (46,327 participants, 14.90 %/6,903 with diabetes: 57.36 % female, average age 70.85+-9.31, BMI 27.16+-4.76) from 27 countries from a wave 8 (2019/2020) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe was used. The data was collected from computer-assisted personal interviews using one common questionnaire, translated into national languages. Diagnosis of diabetes and smoking status were based on self-report of participants. X2 test and multinomial logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses.

Prevalence of smokers in Europe was 13.93/12.15/14.24 % (whole/diabetes/nondiabetes group). Prevalence of ex-smokers was 27.06/29.87/26.57 % and prevalence of never smokers 59.01/57.97/59.19 %. Among countries diabetes populations, highest prevalence of ex-smokers (57.62 %) with low prevalence of smokers (9.52 %) was seen in the Netherlands. Highest prevalence of never smokers (84.21 %) was in Latvia, with lowest ex-smoker and low smoker prevalence (7.89 % for each). Highest prevalence of current smokers (17.94 %) with below average ex-smoker prevalence (26.46 %) was seen in Austria. Obesity was associated with higher ex-smoker prevalence, whilst normal weight, overweight, lower education, age 50-74, living without a partner and being male were associated with higher smoking prevalence. Lower ex-smoker prevalence was associated with ≥ 80 years of age and being female.

Higher prevalence of ex-smokers in diabetes group might reflect diabetes diagnosis being an impulse for smoking cessation, nevertheless smoking prevalence remains high among older diabetes population in Europe. Smoking cessation interventions should be addressed repeatedly over the course of diabetes.

Disclosure

J. Malinovska: Employee; Boehringer Ingelheim s.r.o. M. Lustigova: None. J. Urbanova: None. P. Krollová: Advisory Panel; Boehringer-Ingelheim. Other Relationship; Sanofi. J. Michalec: None. J. Broz: None.

Funding

European Commission, DG RTD through FP5 (QLK6-CT-2001-00360), FP6 (SHARE-I3: RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE: CIT5-CT-2005-028857, SHARELIFE: CIT4-CT-2006-028812), FP7 (SHARE-PREP: GA N°211909, SHARE-LEAP: GA N°227822, SHARE M4: GA N°261982, DASISH: GA N°283646); Horizon 2020 (SHARE-DEV3: GA N°676536, SHARE-COHESION: GA N°870628, SERISS: GA N°654221, SSHOC: GA N°823782, SHARE-COVID19: GA N°101015924); DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion (VS 2015/0195, VS 2016/0135, VS 2018/0285, VS 2019/0332, VS 2020/0313); German Ministry of Education and Research; Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science; National Institute on Aging (U01AG09740-13S2, P01AG005842, P01AG08291, P30AG12815, R21AG025169, Y1AG455301, IAGBSR0611, OGHA04064, HHSN271201300071C, RAG052527A)

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