Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Older adults and smoking.

A Z LaCroix¹, G S Omenn

¹Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington.

Clinics in Geriatric Medicine

|February 1, 1992

Summary

Quitting smoking after age 65 significantly reduces the risk of death, heart events, and cancer. Smoking cessation in older adults improves physical function and quality of life, extending lifespan.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Group exercise membership is associated with forms of social support, exercise identity, and amount of physical activity.

International journal of sport and exercise psychology·2022

Same author

Factors associated with the contemplative stage of readiness to initiate osteoporosis treatment.

Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA·2020

Same author

Racial and ethnic disparities in utilization of total knee arthroplasty among older women.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage·2019

Same author

Prospective associations of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and CRP genetic risk scores with risk of total knee and hip replacement for osteoarthritis in a diverse cohort.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage·2018

Same author

Vasomotor symptoms and the risk of incident venous thrombosis in postmenopausal women.

Journal of thrombosis and haemostasis : JTH·2018

Same author

Self-perception of fracture risk: what can it tell us?

Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA·2017

Area of Science:

Gerontology
Public Health
Preventive Medicine

Background:

Continued smoking in older adults is linked to chronic diseases, reduced mobility, and poorer physical function.
Smoking cessation offers substantial health benefits, even when initiated later in life.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the benefits of smoking cessation in older adults.
To provide evidence supporting physician encouragement of smoking cessation in this demographic.

Main Methods:

This is a review of existing literature on smoking cessation in older adults.
The review synthesizes findings on mortality, cardiovascular events, cancer risk, respiratory diseases, bone health, and functional outcomes.

Main Results:

Smoking cessation reduces all-cause mortality, with risks approaching those of never-smokers within 15-20 years.
Benefits include reduced risk of coronary events, cardiac deaths, smoking-related cancers, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality.
Quitting improves respiratory symptoms, slows pulmonary function decline, enhances physical function, and may positively impact bone health and quality of life.

Conclusions:

Smoking cessation after age 65 yields significant improvements in life expectancy and quality of life.
Encouraging smoking cessation in older adults is a crucial public health intervention with excellent population-level prospects.
While individual benefits vary, the overall impact of quitting smoking late in life is profoundly positive.

Related Experiment Videos