Age, smoking inhalation, and pulmonary function

This study examined the relative effects of age and smoking on pulmonary function. Smoking was measured by six smoking variables, taken singly and as a composite. Subjects were 1,516 male participants in the Normative Aging Study. A stepwise multiple regression with vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1.0) as the criteria accounted for 24.4% and 28.3% of the variance, respectively. Two-way analyses of variance showed that the age decline in pulmonary function was substantially greater for high inhalers than it was for low inhalers or nonsmokers. Age and the inhalation index were also noticeably and independently related to a decline in pulmonary function.