BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is a major health concern in India, particularly for older adults. Its impact on mental health, especially on feelings of sadness, feeling blue, or experiencing depressed days (SBDD), has not been studied in detail. This study aims to explore how tobacco use is linked to self-reported depressed mood (SBDD) among older adults in India and to identify patterns that could help guide mental health and tobacco control programs.
METHODS: The study uses data from the Longitudinal Aging Study India (LASI) Wave 1, which includes 10.487 participants aged 45 years and older who reported experiencing mood-related symptoms. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data, and bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to study the relationship between tobacco use and symptoms of depressed mood.
RESULTS: About 19.7% of older adults reported feeling sad, blue, or depressed for at least two weeks in the last year. Tobacco users, including those who used smokeless tobacco (e.g., chewing tobacco), were more likely to report such feelings compared to non-users. The analysis showed that tobacco use was strongly associated with prolonged feelings of sadness or depression.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings from LASI Wave 1 show that tobacco use is linked to a higher likelihood of experiencing depressed mood among older adults in India. This highlights the need for programs that address both tobacco use and mental health issues together to improve the well-being of this population.