Trends in the smoking habits of young adults with diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
To examine changes in the prevalence of smoking in young adult diabetic patients between 1990 and 1999.


METHODS
Walton Diabetes Centre, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool, UK.


METHODS
Direct questioning as well as the urinary cotinine:creatinine ratio were used to assess the smoking habits of 99 young type 1 diabetic patients in 1991 (mean age 21.5 years, duration of diabetes 7.3 years), and in 112 similar patients in 1999 (mean age 23.4 years, duration of diabetes 9.6 years).


RESULTS
The admitted smoking rate was 31/99 (31%) in 1990 compared with 31/112 (28%) in 1999 (not significant). However, in 1990 there were an additional 17 "covert" smokers (patients who denied smoking, but had an unequivocally raised urinary cotinine:creatinine ratio), but only three in 1999 (p<0.05). This gave a corrected validated smoking rate of 48/99 (48%) in 1990 and 34/112 (30%) in 1999, representing a significant fall (p<0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Smoking rates in young type 1 diabetic patients appear to have fallen during the last decade, and reporting of smoking behaviour is now more honest.
MacFarlane
I
I
Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, University Hospital Aintree, Liverpool L9 1AE, UK.
Gill
G
G
Grove
T
T
Wallymahmed
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D003367:Cotinine / Q000652:urine; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000523:psychology*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000639:trends* / Q000652:urine
D015415:Biomarkers; D003404:Creatinine; D003367:Cotinine