A Time-Varying Effect Model (TVEM) of the Complex Association of Tobacco Use and Smoke Exposure on Mean Telomere Length: Differences between Racial and Ethnic Groups Assessed in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

• Authors: Francisco Alejandro Montiel Ishino, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda; Claire E Rowan, Emory University; Kevin Villalobos, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda; Janai Rajbhandari-Thapa, University of Georgia, Athens; Faustine Williams, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda
• Journal Title: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Volume: Volume 19, Number 17
• Publisher: MDPI AG | 2022-09-04
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711069
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Epidemiology
• Keywords: telomere; cotinine; tobacco use; environmental tobacco smoke; time-varying effect modeling (TVEM); health disparity; minority and vulnerable populations

Abstract

Telomere length is affected by lifestyle and environmental factors and varies between racial and ethnic groups; however, studies are limited, with mixed findings. This study examined the effects of tobacco use and smoke exposure on mean telomere length to identify critical age periods by race/ethnicity. We used time-varying effect modeling on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for continuous years 1999–2002 to observe the effects of active tobacco use and environmental tobacco smoke—measured through serum cotinine—and mean telomere length for adults 19 to 85 and older (N = 7826). Models were run for Mexican American, other Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and other/multi-race categories to allow for time-varying group differences, and controlled for biological sex, socioeconomic status, education, and ever-smoker status. Serum cotinine was found to have an increasing effect on telomere length from age 37 to approximately age 74 among Mexican Americans. Among other/multi-race individuals serum cotinine was found to have a decreasing effect at approximately age 42, and among Blacks, it had an overall decreasing effect from age 61 to 78. Findings reveal a further need to focus additional support and resources to intervene regarding disparate health effects from tobacco use and environmental smoke exposure for already vulnerable groups at particular ages.