Frontiers in Public Health (Jan 2025)
Relationship of smoking cessation duration and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults in China: a national cross-sectional study
Abstract
BackgroundPopulation aging and smoking are both major challenges worldwide, particularly in developing countries. We preliminarily explored the relationship of smoking cessation duration and cognitive function among middle-aged and older Chinese.MethodsThe data comes from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) wave 4. Smoking information was collected by standardized questionnaire. Global and memory-specific cognitive functions were assessed. We used restricted cubic spline to explore curvilinear relationship. After discretizing the duration of ex-smokers (quitting ≤2 years, 3–8 years, 9–19 years, and ≥20 years), multiple linear regression models were established with current smokers as reference.ResultsA total of 5,561 respondents (67.7 ± 6.2 years; 54.1% men) were included. Respondents who quit smoking for longer showed better global cognitive function. This trend leveled off among respondents who had quit smoking for ≥20 years. There were significant differences in global cognitive function among those who quit smoking for ≥9 years (9–19 years, β = 0.75, 95%CI 0.32–1.18; ≥20 years, β = 0.94, 95%CI 0.42–1.46). The differences mainly came from men. In immediate memory, all ex-smokers performed better. In delayed memory, only those quit for ≥9 years had significant differences.ConclusionCompared with current smokers, both never smokers and ex-smokers showed better cognitive function. Respondents who quit smoking for longer had better cognitive performance, especially those who had quit for at least 9 years.
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