Early smoking initiation and changes in body weight, blood pressure and lipid profile in males: results of a 26-year prospective study

Aim. To study the relationship of early smoking initiation (adolescence) with changes in body weight, blood pressure (BP), and lipid profile in males within a prospective study.

Material and methods. This paper presents the results of a 26-year follow-up of two groups: group 1 — males who began to smoke up to 17 years; group 2 — males who have not smoked until 17 years of age. The examination included a standard questionnaire, anthropometry, blood pressure measurement, determination of lipids and apolipoproteins (apo).

Results. In males with an early smoking initiation, its prevalence by the age of 22 was 64,8%, and by the age of 43 it decreased to 41,7%. At 43, 60% of the original number of smokers continued to smoke. The relative risk for adolescents who started smoking before 17 years of age to be every day smoker at the age of 22, 33 and 43, respectively, was 2,2, 1,7 and 2,1 times higher than their peers who did not smoke before 17 years. With age, the prevalence of smoking decreased and its intensity increased (number of cigarettes smoked per day). At 33-43, in the group of early smoking initiation, compared with nonsmokers, there were higher values of body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, apo B, and apo B/apo AI ratio.

Conclusion. Smoking initiation in adolescence is associated with an early adherence to smoking, higher prevalence in young adulthood and a high probability of continuation in adulthood. It also contributes to the general and abdominal obesity in adulthood and increases the atherogenicity of lipoprotein profile.

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