Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Apr 2;20(5):614-619.
doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntx053.

The Impact of Weight and Weight-Related Perceptions on Smoking Status Among Young Adults in a Text-Messaging Cessation Program

Kisha I Coa  1 , Erik Augustson  2 , Annette Kaufman  2
Affiliations

The Impact of Weight and Weight-Related Perceptions on Smoking Status Among Young Adults in a Text-Messaging Cessation Program

Kisha I Coa et al. Nicotine Tob Res. .

Abstract

Introduction: Weight gain and concerns about weight can influence a smoker's ability to successfully quit, and young adults are a subgroup of smokers who are particularly concerned about the impact of quitting on their body weight. This study explored the associations between body mass index, weight perceptions, and smoking status among young adults.

Methods: The sample consisted of 4027 young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 who participated in a randomized control trial of the National Cancer Institute's SmokefreeTXT program. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between weight related variables and smoking status.

Results: Obese participants had a 0.72 lower odds (95% CI: 0.62, 0.85) of reporting smoking at the end of the program than participants of normal weight, and this difference persisted over time. Weight perceptions were also associated with smoking status. Those who perceived themselves to be slightly underweight/underweight were more likely to report smoking than those who reported being just about the right weight (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.95), and those who strongly disagreed that smoking cigarettes helps people keep their weight down were less likely to report smoking at the end of treatment than those who neither agreed nor disagreed with this statement (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.87).

Conclusions: Weight related factors assessed at baseline predicted smoking status at the end of treatment and through long term follow-up. Smoking cessation programs that tailor content to addresses the specific needs of weight concerned smokers may enhance effectiveness.

Implications: This study explores the association between weight related factors and smoking status among young adults, a priority population for smoking cessation efforts. This study demonstrates that both actual weight and weight perceptions (eg, perception of body weight, perception of associations between smoking and weight) are associated with smoking outcomes, and thus need to be a considered in the development of smoking cessation programs.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Percentage of participants who report smoking at each follow-up assessment by BMI category.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wack JT, Rodin J. Smoking and its effects on body weight and the systems of caloric regulation. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982;35(2):366–380. - PubMed
    1. Jacobs DR, Jr, Gottenborg S. Smoking and weight: the Minnesota Lipid Research Clinic. Am J Public Health. 1981;71(4):391–396. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Albanes D, Jones DY, Micozzi MS, Mattson ME. Associations between smoking and body weight in the US population: analysis of NHANES II. Am J Public Health. 1987;77(4):439–444 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Flegal KM, Troiano RP, Pamuk ER, Kuczmarski RJ, Campbell SM. The influence of smoking cessation on the prevalence of overweight in the United States. N Engl J Med. 1995;333(18):1165–1170. - PubMed
    1. Collaboration PS. Body-mass index and cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults: collaborative analyses of 57 prospective studies. The Lancet. 2009;373(9669):1083–1096. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types