Vital exhaustion as a marker of chronic social stress and smoking among people aged 25-44 years

Aim. To analyze the associations of exhaustion, as a marker of chronic social stress, with smoking in a random representative sample of people aged 25-44 years in Novosibirsk.

Material and methods. In Research Institute of Internal and Preventive Medicine — branch of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, in 2013-2016, a study of a random representative sample of people aged 25-44 years in one of the Novosibirsk districts was conducted (registration № FWNR-2024-0002). A total of 975 individuals were examined, of which 427 men and 548 women. The response rate was >70%. Assessment of exhaustion level and attitude towards smoking was carried out according to standard methods of the World Health Organization's MONICA-psychosocial (MOPSY) program protocol.

Results. Among people aged 25-44 years, 38,3% of men and 56,1% of women had exhaustion (χ²=40,744; df=2, p<0,001). Among people of both sexes aged 25-44 years, 58,9% were smokers, of which 27,1% stopped smoking, while 31,8% continued to smoke. Among men, 72,7% smoked, 29% stopped smoking and 43,7% continued smoking. Among women, 48,4% smoked, 25,6% stopped smoking, and 22,8% continued smoking (χ²=72,374; df=5, p<0,001). Among people of both sexes aged 25-44 years with a high exhaustion, 10,5% tried to change their smoking status, but unsuccessfully (χ²=20,708; df=10, p<0,05), and among women — 7,2% (χ²=27,117; df=10, p<0,05). Among those who tried unsuccessfully to change their smoking status (10,1%), "some events annoyed more now than before" (χ²=20,053; df=10, p<0,05). Women who smoke (33%), as well as women who smoke but quit for a while (21,2%) "wanted to die at times" (χ²=20,040; df=10, p<0,05). Among those who smoke, but quit for some time, both among people of both sexes 25-44 years old (14,7%) (χ²=22,783; df=10, p<0,05) and among men (16,1%) (χ²=19,593; df=10, p<0,05) and women (14%) (χ²=20,734; df=10, p<0,05) individually, more often "there was a feeling that recently life requires more strength than is left." Men who tried unsuccessfully to change their smoking status were (13,8%) more often "woke up feeling exhausted and tired" (χ²=19,713; df=10, p<0,05).

Conclusion. We found that people with a high exhaustion have greater dependence on smoking.

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