title: Effects of smoking and smoking cessation on life expectancy in an elderly population in Beijing, China, 1992-2000: an 8-year follow-up study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We assessed the effects of smoking and smoking cessation on life expectancy and active life expectancy among persons aged 55 years or older in Beijing.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 1593 men and 1664 women who participated in the Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging, which commenced in 1992 and had 4 survey waves up to year 2000. An abridged life table was used to estimate life expectancy, in which age-specific mortality and age-specific disability rates were adjusted by using a discrete-time hazard model to control confounders.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean ages (SD) for men and women were 70.1 (9.25) and 70.2 (8.72) years, respectively; mortality and disability rates during follow-up were 34.7% and 8.0%, respectively. In both sexes, never smokers had the highest life expectancy and active life expectancy across ages, as compared with current and former smokers. Current heavy smokers had a shorter life expectancy and a shorter active life expectancy than light smokers. Among former smokers, male long-term quitters had a longer life expectancy and longer active life expectancy than short-term quitters, but this was not the case in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older adults remain at higher risk of mortality and morbidity from smoking and can expect to live a longer and healthier life after smoking cessation.
authors: Department of Epidemiology & Social Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
authors: Xiaobing
authors: X
authors: Tian
authors: Zhe
authors: Z
authors: Tang
authors: Jingmei
authors: J
authors: Jiang
authors: Xianghua
authors: X
authors: Fang
authors: Xiaoguang
authors: X
authors: Wu
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Han
authors: Shaochen
authors: S
authors: Guan
authors: Hongjun
authors: H
authors: Liu
authors: Lijun
authors: L
authors: Diao
authors: Fei
authors: F
authors: Sun
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*