|Smokers spend a larger
proportion of their lives coping with functional disabilities than do non-smokers, and
they are far more likely to die prematurely, according to a study on the relationship
between smoking and disability-free life expectancy.
The study, which analyzes data from the National Population Health Survey,
found that smoking not only reduces the number of years that a person may hope to live, it
also has a negative impact on their quality of life. Smoking has been associated with a
variety of chronic conditions ranging from bronchitis to asthma to high blood pressure.
Of every 100 non-smoking men
aged 45 in 1995, about 90 will survive to the age of 65,
and 55 will still be living at the age of 80.
However, of every 100 male
smokers aged 45, 80 will survive to the age of 65, and fewer than 30 will
still be living at the age of 80.
Among women, the percentage of survivors is
higher for both smokers and non-smokers. However, the consequences of tobacco use are just
as evident. Among women who were aged 45 in 1995, about 70% of
non-smokers will survive to the age of 80, compared with only about 40% of those
Data also show that non-smokers are
expected to live a higher proportion of their life without any disability. Among both men
and women, two-thirds of non-smokers will survive without any disability to the age
of 65, compared with less than half of smokers. In addition, 25% of male
non-smokers and 30% of female non-smokers who live to the age of 80 will
have no disability, compared with less than 10% for both men and women who smoke.
More Excellent Quitting Smoking
The Benefits of Quitting
| The Risks of Smoking
| Common Withdrawal
Symptoms | 599
Ingredients Found in Cigarettes
Excellent Lung Photographs
| Questions Answered About
Smoking | Quit
Smoking Articles | Effect
of Smoking on the Skin