Differential Associations Between Individual Time Poverty and Smoking Behavior by Gender, Marital Status, and Childrearing Status Among Japanese Metropolitan Adults

Time availability has been recognized as a social determinant of health. However, the association between time poverty and smoking behavior remains to be fully investigated. The aim of this current study was to examine the association between time poverty and smoking behavior by gender, marital status, and childrearing status, which differentially affect time resource availability. We used data from a population-based survey in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. Participants were men and women aged 25-50 years (N = 2500). Time poverty was defined as a shortage of preferred leisure time compared to actual scheduled leisure time. Descriptive statistics and modified Poisson regression analyses were conducted, and stratified by gender. The study revealed that time poverty may relate to the prevalence of current smoking among single mothers with preschool-age children. However, this trend was not found for men. The findings suggest that time poverty may be heterogeneously associated with smoking propensity depending on gender-bound social roles and resources, which deserves further research for targeting appropriate interventions for health equity.