A preliminary study on impacts of stress and social support on smoking adjusting potential confounding factors Free

A31

It is necessary to understand the role and impacts of related factors on smoking behaviors to make a comprehensive and effective plan for tobacco cessation and smoking prevention. However, there are rare studies in that area and their results showed apparent debate caused by small sample size, different subjects, and inadequate adjustment for potential confounding factors. In this reason, this study evaluated the impacts of stress, social network, and social support on smoking considering other potential confounding factors.
 >Subjects were 1,042 (381 men and 661 women) Korean adults aged over 30 years who were participated in baseline survey for community-based cohort in rural areas. The information on smoking status, stress, social networks, social support, demographic and socioeconomic factors, and behavioral factors related with smoking were collected from interview survey with the structured questionnaire and health examination. Among current smoker, Fagerstrom’s Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and measuring of smoking amounts were done. Stress, social networks, social support were assessed using Psychosocial Well-being Index-Short Form (PWI-SF), Social Network Index, Medical Outcome Study-Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS), respectively. Age and multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis were performed examining the relation of psychosocial factors to smoking status and behaviors.
 >Smoking prevalence of study population was 17.2% (men : 38.9%, women : 4.7%). Among current smoker, the average amount and duration of smoking was 18 cigarettes per day and 33years, respectively. In subject population, stress, social network, social support were highly related with sex and age. Therefore, in final analysis, study population was divided into four groups by sex(men, women) and age(<65, ≥65). In multivariate model, stress was significantly lower in never smoker for men aged less than 65 years old (Relative Risk (RR) : 0.60, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) : 0.38-0.95). Social network was significantly lower in never smoker for men aged over 65 years old (RR : 0.57, CI : 0.34-0.96), while it is significantly higher in women aged over 65 years old (RR : 1.71, CI : 1.07-2.74). Lower amount of absolute alcohol consumption was related with never smoker in men aged less than 65 years old (RR : 0.45, CI : 0.28-0.74), while higher income level was related with never smoker (RR : 2.38, CI : 1.27-4.48) Any significant relations were not identified between any psychosocial factors and nicotine dependence or amount of smoking.
 >From this study results, adjustment for other related factors, we could estimated the impacts of psychosocial factors on smoking behavior. Even if hypothesis of a positive influence of social support was not correspond in both men and women, this preliminary analysis suggested that psychosocial factors might give impacts on smoking behavior with interaction in a complex manner. In particular, social norm related with smoking in Korea such as smoking in male adults is prevalent (smoking rate in adults male over 20 years old : 43.4%) and it is considered as usual manner to continue good relationship with others, may cause the result. For more concise explanation, it is necessary to do further study and analysis for this issue with the data from cohort follow up and further analysis.