Smoking and depressive symptoms in Chinese elderly in Hong Kong

Objective: To examine the association between smoking and depressive symptoms among Chinese elderly in Hong Kong. Method: Cross-sectional data on smoking and depressive symptoms from 56 167 Chinese elderly aged 65 or over in Hong Kong were analysed using logistic regression. Results: Current smokers and former smokers were more likely to have depressive symptoms than never smokers. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) in males and females respectively were 1.62 (1.34-1.96) and 1.43 (1.20-1.70) for current smokers, and were 1.18 (0.99-1.40) and 1.29 (1.12-1.47) for former smokers. Former smokers were less likely to have depressive symptoms than current smokers (OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70-0.92). Conclusion: Smoking is positively associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese elderly. Health care workers should be vigilant about the detection of depressive symptoms in elderly smokers.