Depression with Chronic Disease Is Associated with Increased Use of Medical Services and Medical Expenses in Hardcore Smokers

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the association of chronic disease and depression with medical service use and expenses in hardcore smokers and provide basic data for health management system of hardcore smokers. This was a secondary data study involving 1735 smokers. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to match hardcore smokers with regular smokers, and a two part model (TPM) was used based on the matched groups. In the case of general smokers, subjects with both depression and chronic disease had a significant relation to medical service use. In the case of hardcore smokers, subjects without depression and with chronic disease or with both depression and chronic disease had increased the use of medical services. The depression and chronic disease of general smokers did not affect the use of medical services. In the case of hardcore smokers, subjects who do not have depression and have only chronic disease (β = 0.20, p = 0.002) or with depression and chronic disease (β = 0.20, p = 0.014) significantly related the use of medical services. Conclusion: It is necessary to establish a health management system that considers both emotional states and chronic disease for hardcore smokers.