Tobacco and the Health of the Portuguese Elderly

Where to Look?

Abstract

Tobacco consumption is seen as a public health issue in many countries, leading to policies aimed at consumption cessation and to prevent the start of a regular smoking habit in the young. We assess the association between smoking habits and health status in a sample of Portuguese population with 50 years and above, from the SHARE – Survey of Health, Age and Retirement in Europe wave 4. Using a physical measure of health, respiratory peak flow, as well as the more standard measures of medical-doctor-diagnosed respiratory problems and self-assessed health, we show that tobacco consumption has an important negative impact in the health of the elderly, which is not captured by self-assessed health. From a policy perspective, this advises to the routine collection of physical measures of health to have effective knowledge about the health of the population and appropriate design in interventions.