Effects of Smoking on Menopausal Age: Results From the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007 to 2012.
- Author:
Hee Jung YANG
1
;
Pae Sun SUH
;
Soo Jeong KIM
;
Soon Young LEE
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords: Smoking; Menopause; Age; Proportional hazard models
- MeSH: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demography; Female; Humans; Menopause; Middle Aged; Nutrition Surveys; Proportional Hazards Models; Republic of Korea; Risk Factors; *Smoking
- From:Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 2015;48(4):216-224
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: OBJECTIVES: Decreased fertility and impaired health owing to early menopause are significant health issues. Smoking is a modifiable health-related behavior that influences menopausal age. We investigated the effects of smoking-associated characteristics on menopausal age in Korean women. METHODS: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012. Menopausal age in relation to smoking was analyzed as a Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 11 510 women (aged 30 to 65 years). The risk of entering menopause and experiencing early menopause (before age 48) related to smoking were assessed using a Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The menopausal age among smokers was 0.75 years lower than that among non-smokers (p<0.001). The results of the Cox proportional hazards model showed pre-correction and post-correction risk ratios for entering menopause related to smoking of 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.46) and 1.27 (95% CI, 1.10 to 1.47), respectively, and pre-correction and post-correction risk ratios for experiencing early menopause related to smoking of 1.36 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.80) and 1.40 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.85), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Smokers reached menopause earlier than non-smokers, and their risk for experiencing early menopause was higher.
