A recent study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health has revealed that quitting smoking can increase life expectancy at any age, challenging long-held views that smoking cessation is only beneficial for younger people.
According to the researchers, even seniors who quit can add significant years to their lives, with those who stop at age 75 still experiencing measurable benefits.
Dr Thuy Le, lead author of the study, highlighted a gap in existing research, stating, seen a remarkable decline in young adult smoking over the past decade.
“However, rates among older adults who smoke have remained stagnant, and to our knowledge, no research had established benefits for them of quitting. We wanted to show that stopping smoking is beneficial at any age and provide [an] incentive for older people who smoke to quit.”
The research used age-specific mortality rates among three groups: lifelong non-smokers, current smokers, and former smokers. Life expectancy tables were created at 10-year intervals between ages 35 and 75 to illustrate the benefits of quitting at various ages.
Findings showed that, on average, individuals who quit smoking at 65 could avoid a loss of 1.7 years of life compared to those who continued, while those who quit by 75 could avoid losing up to 0.7 years.
Even those in their 60s and 70s saw benefits, with 23.4% of individuals who quit at 65 gaining at least one extra year of life, and 14.2% of those who stopped by 75 gaining the same.
Remarkably, nearly 10% of seniors who quit at 65 gained at least eight years compared to those who continued smoking.
Dr Kenneth Warner, a co-investigator, explained, “While the gains from quitting at older ages may seem low in absolute terms, they represent a large proportion of an individual’s remaining life expectancy.”
The study’s findings offer critical insights for public health policy and provide healthcare professionals with robust data to encourage smoking cessation at any age. The researchers hope their results will empower clinicians to emphasise the health benefits of quitting smoking, particularly for older patients.
Smoking rates in South Africa remain high, with daily smokers averaging 8.5 cigarettes per day, according to the 2021 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) South Africa report. The survey, which sampled 7,245 households, found a 29.4% prevalence of tobacco use, with significantly more men (41.7%) using tobacco compared to women (17.9%).
Dr Catherine Egbe of the South African Medical Research Council reported that 21.2% of adults smoke daily, and 4.6% smoke occasionally. The Northern Cape has the highest tobacco use, and Limpopo the lowest.
The average age for smoking initiation is 17.6 years, with 20.9% of urban and 13.5% of rural residents starting before age 15. Additionally, 33.9% of daily smokers consume tobacco within five minutes of waking up.
