title: Earlier joint trajectories of cigarette smoking and low perceived self-control as predictors of later poor health for women in their mid-60s.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current study was designed to assess the prospective relationship between the earlier joint trajectories of cigarette smoking and low perceived self-control (X age = 40-48) and later health problems (X age = 65.2) within a community sample of understudied females.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were given self-administered questionnaires.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results of the growth mixture model suggested 5 joint trajectories of cigarette smoking and perceived self-control, which consisted of 1 at-risk group (chronic smoking and low perceived self-control), 1 low-risk group (infrequent or nonsmoking and high perceived self-control), and 3 intermediate groups (i.e., high on one factor and low on the other). The results from logistic regression analyses supported a model by which (a) women in the at-risk group, in comparison with the low-risk group, were more likely to report 5 or more diseases (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.81; p < .001) and poor or very poor general health (AOR = 5.98; p < .001); (b) women in the at-risk group as compared with women in the intermediate groups were also more likely to report 5 or more diseases (AOR = 2.36; p < .05) and poor or very poor general health (AOR = 2.86; p < .01); and (c) women in the intermediate group were more likely to report 5 or more diseases (AOR = 2.04; p < .05) and poor or very poor general health (AOR = 2.09; p < .05) than women in the low-risk group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings highlight the significance of targeting dispositional factors (e.g., perceived self-control) in conjunction with smoking in designing programs for promoting the health of women in midlife.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, 215 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA. judith.brook@nyumc.org
authors.forename: Judith S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Brook
authors.forename: Chenshu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Brook
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Finch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009518:New York; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires