A multi-ancestry polygenic score (PGS) for smoking persistence was tested in 139,129 current and former smokers from All of Us. The score was built from a published genome-wide association study of tobacco and alcohol use. Current smokers rose from 35.5% in the lowest decile to 51.9% in the highest. After adjustment, median cessation ages were 40 years in the lowest decile and 48 in the highest. In Cox models the highest decile had a cessation hazard ratio of 0.67 (95% CI 0.65–0.70) against the lowest. Associations appeared in each genetic ancestry group, but estimates varied in precision.
Why it is interesting: Earlier quitting brings greater health benefit, so the timing of cessation matters for tobacco-related mortality. This study quantifies an inherited gradient in quitting age across ancestry groups in a diverse US cohort.
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