Researchers from University of Arizona (UA) have found that divorcees are more likely to pick up unhealthy habits that result in an increased risk of premature death.

The study, led by UA psychology doctoral student Kyle Bourassa, found that divorcees are 46 percent more likely to die prematurely compared to married couples.

The findings showed that those who are separated are less likely to engage in physical activity and are more likely to pick up unhealthy habits such as smoking.

"We were trying to fill in the gap of evidence linking marital status and early mortality," Bourassa said, according to Science Daily.

"We know marital status is associated with both psychological and physical health, and one route from divorce to health risk is through health behaviors, like smoking and exercise. We also know that health behaviors are often linked to psychological variables, like life satisfaction," he added.

The research, published in Annals of Behavioral Medicine, were based on data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, which involved 5,786 study participants over the age of 50 living in the U.K.

The authors of the latest study analyzed the reported life satisfaction of the participants and asked them about their exercise habits as well as their smoking status. Data from the participants - including 926 individuals who were divorced or separated - was collected every two years beginning in 2002.

The participants who passed away during the study period were also tracked by the researchers.

The findings revealed that divorcees were more likely to start smoking, resulting in reduced lung function and a higher risk of premature death.

The researchers also considered other factors such as gender, self-reported health, age and socioeconomic status in conducting the study.

Bourassa surmised that divorced individuals exercise less and are more likely to start smoking after separation because they no longer have spouses who might criticize them for poor health choices.

"Partner control of health might play a role," he said, as reported by Science Daily. "If you imagine a husband or wife who doesn't smoke and their partner does, one might try to influence the other's behavior. In many ways, when relationships end, we lose that important social control of our health behaviors," he added.

As much as 50 percent of marriages in the U.S. and 42 percent in the U.K. end up in divorce, according to the Daily Mail.

The authors said that future research should consider how marital separation affects people's diet and alcohol consumption. They also suggested that a study is needed to assess the health of widowed or remarried individuals.