title: Social aspects of tobacco addiction and the quality of life of people smoking and non-smoking tobacco.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Harmfulness of smoking on the human body leads to the development of tobacco-related diseases, which contributes to a reduction in years of life. Active smoker cigarettes more often suffers from ill-health, emotional state, physical function, social activity, than a non-smoker. These differences are even more pronounced among the elderly. The aim of the study was to compare the quality of life in middle-aged and elderly among chronic smokers and non-smokers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 400 people who were divided into two groups: those in middle age (100-hundred active smokers and 100 never smokers people) and the elderly (100-hundred active smokers and 100 never smokers people). The average age of respondents - 43.5 years for people in middle age and 65.3 years at the old age. Number of cigarettes smoked per day 15 pieces in middle-aged and 7 cigarettes by older people.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When comparing the health of middle-aged to older people, to 42.5% of younger people are happy with the current state of health, this percentage decreases to 10% in the elderly. The results showed that none among the elderly smokers not rated health status as good, among nonsmokers was 20% of the respondents. There was statistically significant differences: between active smokers and nonsmokers in middle age (p<0,004), and in old age (p<0.0001). Middle age, hypertension was diagnosed in 32% of current smokers and only in three non-smokers (p<0.001). Hypertension among older people occurred twice as often among smokers than nonsmokers, like coronary heart disease, and 31% of smokers in the elderly suffered from COPD, compared to 2% of non-smokers (p<0.001). Middle age 39% of smokers, feels great due to the limitation of physical health, the elderly, 58% is several times more likely than their peers in groups of non-smokers (p<0.001). The pain is more common in smokers than non- smokers in both age groups, this is the pain of a strong and medium intensity. Nonsmokers, independent of age often engaged in family and social life than smokers in the same age groups (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cigarette smokers have chronic diseases earlier, more often and more numerous than in the group of non-smoking peers. Worse physical and psychological health of smokers reduces social activity and decrease in quality of life.
authors: The First Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Lodz. sylwia.kalucka@gmail.com
authors: Sylwia
authors: S
authors: Kałucka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000523:psychology*