Endocrine Abstracts

Objectives: Smoking tobacco is a risk factor for several diseases and has been increasing in many developing countries. Smoking cessation counseling should be a routine component of diabetes care. The aim of the present study was to examine the association between smoking status in two different groups of patients with diabetes: Immigrants from Bangladesh who live in Greece and Greek-born subjects.

Methods: A total of 166 immigrants with diabetes (122 with Type 2 and 44 with Type 1 diabetes mellitus) from Bangladesh were compared with 123 Greek Caucasian patients (82 with Type 2 and 41 with type 1 diabetes mellitus). Patients from Bangladesh had a mean ±S.D. duration of 10.34±6.2 years of living in Greece. A questionnaire was formulated and pilot-tested for the comprehensibility of questions by both ethnic groups. Interviews were conducted, a physical examination followed and blood samples for plasma glucose and HbA1c were collected. Demographic characteristics and diabetes-related information was collected.

Results: A total of 40 (24.1%) patients from Bangladesh and 58 (47.2%) patients from Greece were smokers, 18 (10.8%) patients from Bangladesh and 37 (30.1%) patients from Greece reported that they were ex-smokers at the time of examination and interview, whereas 108 (65.1%) patients from Bangladesh and 28 (22.8%) patients from Greece never smoked (P<0.001). Patients from Bangladesh reported less tobacco use than Greek patients (5.61±11.91 vs 24.77±24.20 pack-years, P<0.001).

Conclusions: Most immigrants reported less tobacco use than native Greeks. Higher education is associated with less smoking prevalence in both ethnic groups. Patients living alone were more likely to smoke than those who live with families. Employed persons had a lower smoking prevalence than unemployed persons in both ethnic groups. Smoking is associated with higher glucose and HbA1c values in both ethnic groups. From the literature tobacco smoking is related to insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, decreased β-cell function and pancreatic inflammation. Understanding some culturally relevant predictors of tobacco use among different ethnic population might assist health care providers in designing successful smoking control programs, especially for patients with diabetes.