Research Article

Association between Smoking and Health Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women Living with Multiple Sclerosis

Table 1

Baseline characteristics of postmenopausal women with multiple sclerosis by smoking status in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study.

Baseline characteristicsCurrent smoker
( )
Past smoker
( )
Never smoker
( )

Median (standard deviation)
Years since menopause11.9 (7.2)13.2 (8.4)13.8 (9.4)

Percentages
Age
 <50–59 years65.248.446.1
 60–69 years34.840.537.3
 70–79+ years011.116.7
Race/ethnicity
 Non-Hispanic white89.590.090.5
 Non-Hispanic black10.56.42.4
 Hispanic03.63.6
Education
 ≤High school13.016.016.8
 Some college 47.836.036.6
 ≥College graduate39.148.046.5
Have any health insurance10098.495.1
Depressed9.120.825.0
Body mass index (kg/m2)
 <18.5 (underweight)8.74.87.8
 18.5 to <25 (normal)47.848.442.2
 25 to <30 (overweight)26.126.233.3
 30+ (obese)17.420.616.7
Alcohol use
 Never drinker04.018.6
 Past drinker17.415.916.7
 Current drinker82.680.264.7
Menopause hormone therapy
 Never user34.834.135.3
 Past user8.718.312.8
 Current user56.547.652.0
Vitamin D < 400 IU per day03.24.9
Age started smoking (years)
 <2016.112.0N/A
 20 to 2430.131.0N/A
 25 or older53.857.1N/A
Cigarettes smoked (per day)
 <1552.055.1N/A
 15 or more48.044.9N/A
Years smoked regularly
 <104.327.3N/A
 10 to 2920.247.6N/A
 30 to 4963.423.7N/A
 50 and more12.01.4N/A
Pack-years
 <1022.244.9N/A
 10 to 2935.131.7N/A
 30 to 4929.214.5N/A
 50 or more13.68.9N/A
Age quit smoking (years)
 <20N/A1.8N/A
 20 to 29N/A19.2N/A
 30 to 39N/A25.2N/A
 40 or olderN/A53.8N/A