Gender, Tobacco Control Policies, and Persistent Smoking Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis of 11 European Countries.

Persistent smoking is a particularly harmful smoking behavior as it is associated with greater risks of comorbidity and mortality. By employing the framework of the multilevel social determinants of health, this study examined the behavior of persistent smoking among older adults in European countries. Women, especially women with low levels of education are vulnerable to persistent smoking. Moreover, TCPs, in general, are significantly related to a reduction in persistent smoking among older women only and the negative association is stronger for those having less education, indicating gender and socioeconomic differences in responsiveness to TCPs.