Life Gain in Italian Smokers Who Quit

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Laura Carrozzi²  Franco Falcone³  Giulia Carreras¹  Francesco Pistelli²  Giuseppe Gorini¹  Andrea Martini¹ 

[1] Unit of Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute (ISPO), via delle Oblate 2, Florence 50139, Italy; E-Mails:;Pulmonary Unit, CardioThoracic and Vascular Department, University Hospital of Pisa, via Paradisa 2, Cisanello, Pisa 56124, Italy; E-Mails:;Italian Association of Hospital Pulmonologists (AIPO) Research, Via Antonio Da Recanate, 2, Milan 20124, Italy; E-Mail:

关键词: smoking cessation;    Italy;    survival;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph110302395

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

This study aims to estimate the number of life years gained with quitting smoking in Italian smokers of both sexes, by number of cigarettes smoked per day (cig/day) and age at cessation. All-cause mortality tables by age, sex and smoking status were computed, based on Italian smoking data, and the survival curves of former and current smokers were compared. The more cig/day a man/woman smokes, and the younger his/her age of quitting smoking, the more years of life he/she gains with cessation. In fact, cessation at age 30, 40, 50, or 60 years gained, respectively, about 7, 7, 6, or 5, and 5, 5, 4, or 3 years of life, respectively, for men and women that smoked 10–19 cig/day. The gain in life years was higher for heavy smokers (9 years for >20 cig/day) and lower for light smokers (4 years for 1–9 cig/day). Consistently with prospective studies conducted worldwide, quitting smoking increases life expectancy regardless of age, gender and number of cig/day. The estimates of the number of years of life that could be gained by quitting smoking, when computed specifically for a single smoker, could be used by physicians and health professionals to promote a quit attempt.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.