Passive Smoking Exposure in Living Environments Reduces Cognitive Function: A Prospective Cohort Study in Older Adults

Fan He, Tian Li, Junfen Lin, Fudong Li, Yujia Zhai, Tao Zhang, Xue Gu and Genming Zhao
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Fan He: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
Tian Li: Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
Junfen Lin: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
Fudong Li: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
Yujia Zhai: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
Tao Zhang: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
Xue Gu: Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou 310051, China
Genming Zhao: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: There is currently no consensus regarding the effects of passive smoking exposure on cognitive function in older adults. We evaluated 7000 permanent residents from six regions within Zhejiang Province, China, aged ≥60 years, without cognitive impairment at baseline and during follow-up examinations for two years. The Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination was used to assess the participants’ cognitive function. Multivariate regression analyses were carried out to calculate the adjusted relative risks (RRs) as measures of the association between passive smoking exposure and cognitive impairment after adjusting for potential confounders. The results showed an association between passive smoking exposure in the living environment and increased risk of cognitive impairment (RR: 1.16; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01–1.35). No dose–response relationship between the cumulative dose of passive smoking exposure (days) and cognitive impairment was observed. The results of stratified analyses suggested a harmful effect of passive smoking exposure on cognitive function in non-smokers (RR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06–1.46), but not in smokers (RR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.71–1.92). Therefore, passive smoking exposure increased the risk of cognitive impairment in older adults, especially non-smokers. More effective measures to restrict smoking in the living environment should be developed and implemented.

Keywords: passive smoking; cognitive impairment; longitudinal study; hazard ratio; dementia; older adults; aging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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