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The association between having a first-degree family history of cancer and smoking status
Hermine Poghosyan1, Janice F Bell2, Jill G Joseph2
1College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125, USA.
Objective:
A diagnosis of cancer within the family provides an opportunity for smokers to adopt a health-promoting behavior. This study examines the associations between having a first-degree family history of cancer and smoking status using population-based data with a large and diverse sample.
Method:
Cross-sectional data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey on 47,331 adults were analyzed. Sample weights were applied to account for the survey design with results generalizable to non-institutionalized adults in California (27.4 million).
Results:
In 2009, 3.7 million (13.6%) adults were current-smokers, 6.3 million (23.0%) were former smokers and 17.4 million (63.4%) were never-smokers. Nine-million-six-hundred-thousand (35%) had a first-degree family history of cancer. Controlling for all covariates, first-degree family history of cancer was significantly associated with being a current smoker (OR=1.16; 95% CI=1.01-1.35) and to being a former smoker (OR=1.17; 95% CI=1.05-1.30).
Conclusion:
In California, although many adults with a first-degree family history of cancer quit smoking, a significant subset still smoke which places them at higher risk for poor health outcomes. This subset represents an important target population for smoking cessation interventions.
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