Association between successful smoking cessation and changes in marital and job status and health behaviours: evidence from a 10-wave nationwide survey in Japan

BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge the association of smoking cessation with changes in lifestyle and health behaviours. This study examined this issue using large-scale, long-term longitudinal data. METHODS: The data were obtained from a 10-wave (nine-year) longitudinal nationwide survey of middle-aged individuals conducted from 2005 to 2014 in Japan. Participants included 4452 men and 1194 women aged 50–59 years who were smoking at wave 1. Smoking cessation was defined as no smoking during waves 8–10; and changes in marital and job status, leisure-time physical activity, alcohol intake, and health check-ups from waves 1 to 8 were considered. Multivariable logistic regression models were estimated to explain smoking cessation as a function of changes in marital and job status and health behaviours, and were adjusted for potential attrition bias. RESULTS: Male smoking cessation was negatively associated with separation from a spouse (odds ratio [OR]: 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.29–0.92) and stopping of health check-ups (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.49–0.81), while it was positively associated with moving from work to retirement (OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.23–2.26), beginning a leisure-time physical activity (OR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.83–3.08), and quitting alcohol intake (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.36–2.39). Female smoking cessation was negatively associated with the stoppage of health check-ups (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.18–0.53) and positively associated with quitting alcohol intake (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.08–3.20). CONCLUSIONS: The results underscore the association of smoking cessation with changes in marital and job status and health behaviours and imply the need for policy measures to improve health behaviours to promote smoking cessation.