The relationship between smoking and body weight in a population of young military personnel.

Evidence indicates that middle-aged smokers weigh less than nonsmokers and that smoking cessation reliably produces weight gain, but recent studies have questioned the weight control "benefits" of smoking in younger populations (the time that people typically initiate smoking). The relationship between smoking and body weight was evaluated in all U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training recruits during a 1-year period (n?=?32,144). Those who smoked prior to Basic Military Training (n?=?10,440) were compared to never smokers or experimental smokers. Results indicated that regular-current smoking had no relationship to body weight in women (p? >?.05) and a very small effect in men (p?     

Understanding the relationship between body weight and osteoarthritis

Overweight people are at high risk of developing knee osteoarthritis (OA) and may also be at increased risk of hand and hip OA. Furthermore, being overweight accelerates disease progression in knee OA. While the increased joint stress accompanying obesity may explain the strong linkage between obesity and knee OA risk, it does not necessarily explain why obese people have a high risk of disease in the hand nor why obese women are at higher comparative risk of knee disease than obese men. Unfortunately, studies of metabolic factors linked to obesity have not provided an explanation for these findings. There are a paucity of data on weight loss as a treatment for OA, but preliminary information suggests it is especially effective in knee disease and that even small amounts of weight reduction may have favourable effects.     

The relationship between body mass and cigarette smoking using a biochemical index of smoking exposure

This study evaluated the relationship between smoking and body mass using objective indices of both smoking exposure (COHb) and body mass. The subjects were 4240 adults who participated in the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Measurements of dietary intake, physical activity, demographics, body mass index (BMI) and blood carboxy-haemoglobin (COHb) were used in these analyses. After controlling for covariables of body mass, the results indicated that smokers displayed a significantly lower mass compared with non-smokers. Smokers with higher levels of COHb had lower BMIs than smokers at lower COHb levels. White smokers had lower BMIs with increasing COHb exposure whereas black smokers had BMIs at high COHb exposure similar to those of non-smokers. Results indicated that smokers weighed less than non-smokers and that the weight control 'benefits' of smoking were most pronounced in white subjects who were heavy smokers.     

Smoking-specific weight gain concerns and smoking cessation in a working population.

Smoking cessation rates, progression in stage of change for smoking cessation, and serious quit attempts were examined over 2 years in a cohort of 242 men and women smokers (mean age 39.7 years, mean body mass index [BMI] 26.3) as a function of expressing concern about gaining weight because of quitting smoking. Participants were employees of 25 companies who were in a worksite health promotion program aimed at reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Multivariate odds ratios (controlled for age, education, job class, sex, and BMI) for quitting smoking, attempting to quit smoking, and progressing in stage of change for smoking cessation as a function of weight concern were not significant. Interactions between sex and weight concern, and BMI and weight concern were also not significant. These findings, in a working, predominantly blue-collar population, and those of other studies, suggest that concern about gaining weight is, at best, a weak predictor of change in smoking behavior among most smokers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reconciling conflicting findings regarding postcessation weight concerns and success in smoking cessation.

Correlates of concern about weight gain following smoking cessation and self-efficacy about controlling weight gain were examined in 940 men and 1,166 women who were surveyed on 2 occasions as part of a randomized trial of work-site interventions for smoking cessation. Weight concerns were positively associated with female sex, body weight, dieting for weight control, nicotine addiction, and social encouragement to quit. Bivariate analyses replicated prior findings that elevated weight concerns are associated with a reduced likelihood of quitting smoking, at least in women. Analyses controlling for demographics, nicotine dependence, and social factors replicated prior findings that weight concerns are not negatively related to smoking cessation and that some measures of concern are positively related to cessation. These analyses suggest that conflicting findings found in this literature are due primarily to how weight concerns are defined and whether covariates like nicotine addiction are used in data analyses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are weight concerns predictive of smoking cessation? A prospective analysis.

Participants in an 8-session, community-based smoking cessation intervention rated whether they would stay quit if they experienced weight gain. The majority reported that they would not relapse to smoking, even after a 20-lb. (9.07-kg) weight gain. Those who were weight concerned were more likely to be female, to weigh less and be normal or underweight, and to report chronic dieting. This group was also significantly less likely to be abstinent posttreatment, and at the 1-, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Individuals presenting for formal smoking cessation interventions may be less weight concerned than the general population of smokers. However, weight-concerned smokers who do present for treatment are less likely to quit smoking. Implications for recruitment and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The influence of cigarette smoking on the association between body weight and mortality. The Framingham Heart Study revisited

PURPOSE: To calculate for two measures of obesity, the Metropolitan Relative Weight (MRW) and body mass index (BMI), the value at which minimum mortality occurs. This was done to retest the hypothesis, in the Framingham Heart Study data, that the association between obesity and mortality can be obscured by an interaction between the measure of obesity and smoking. In the original analysis of the Framingham data it was suggested that there was a U- or J-shaped relationship between MRW and death in smokers but a linear relationship in nonsmokers. The design and setting were those of the NHLBI Framingham Heart Study. METHODS: The 5209 members of the Framingham Heart Study underwent a baseline examination in 1948-1952 (Exam 1) and they were reexamined at approximately two-year intervals over a 30-year period. The study included both men (n = 2336) and women (n = 2873) in the age range of 28 to 62 years. After excluding persons with missing baseline data, the analytic sample size was 5163. Additional analyses were conducted by deleting persons with cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline (n = 135), the sample used by the original paper by Garrison and colleagues, and persons who died within the first four years of follow-up (n = 62). The main outcome measures consisted of thirty-year survival through Exam 16, approximately in 1980, as influenced by MRW or BMI, age, and smoking status at baseline (Exam 1). RESULTS: We were able to show that the sample sizes of male nonsmokers were too small to test the hypothesis within age groups < 40 and 40-49 years. In men ages 50-62 there was a significant age-adjusted quadratic relationship between BMI or MRW, and risk of death. The estimated BMI at the minimum risk of death for smokers (24.5) and nonsmokers (23.8) were not statistically different. Identical results were found for MRW (minimum: smokers = 112.5, nonsmokers = 111.4). In men and women ages 28-62 there appeared to be a u- or j-shaped relationship between the 30-year crude mortality rate and MRW. After excluding persons with missing data, CVD at baseline, and persons who died within the first four years of follow-up, the age adjusted estimated BMI value at the minimum risk of death was nearly identical for men and women and for smokers and nonsmokers (Men: smokers = 22.8, nonsmokers = 22.8; Women: smokers = 22.9, nonsmokers = 23.3). Additionally, the estimates of the minimum were always below the mean. Identical results were found without deleting persons with CVD at baseline and deaths in the first four years of follow-up. Identical results were found for MRW. CONCLUSIONS: Reanalysis of the Framingham Heart Study data does not support the hypothesis that there is an interaction between smoking and measures of obesity. Moreover, the estimated BMI or MRW at the minimum risk of death was similar for men and women smokers and nonsmokers alike even after deleting prevalent cases of CVD and deaths within the first four years of follow-up.     

The relationship between maternal problem-solving style and adolescent social adjustment.

Examined the relationship between social functioning in adolescents and their mothers' conflict-handling style, categorized according to 5 conflict-handling styles identified by M. A. Rahim (see record 1983-27060-001). 89 adolescents (aged 11–17 yrs) and their mothers participated. Mothers completed a measure assessing their style of handling conflict, mothers and fathers completed measures of the adolescents' social functioning, and behavioral observations of the mothers and adolescents were conducted. Results indicate that mothers who scored high on the integrating style (a style using exchange of information and examination of differences to come to a mutually acceptable, often creative, solution) measure had adolescents who were better socially adjusted according to mother, father, and behavioral observation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ideal body size beliefs and weight concerns of fourth-grade children

BACKGROUND: Individual packages of care were devised for spouses of older people with psychiatric illness. METHOD: Randomised controlled trial with blind follow up. Intervention group members were offered multidisciplinary packages while controls received no extra help. Both groups were reassessed 12-14 weeks later. The initial control group then received intervention; both were reassessed at 24-28 weeks. RESULTS: Although no significant differences emerged in group mean scores for affective illness or social difficulties, carers who were mentally ill at outset improved significantly. CONCLUSION: Interventions targeted at caregiving spouses with affective disorder are acceptable and efficacious. LIMITATION: It was impossible to compare treatment with no treatment.     

Effects of body fat on weight concerns, dating, and sexual activity: A longitudinal analysis of Black and White adolescent girls.

Using data from a 2-year longitudinal study of 200 Black and White adolescent girls (mean age was 13 years 8 months at study entry), the authors investigated the implications of differences in body fat for dating and sexual activity and the implications of heterosexual activity for dieting and weight concerns. Among White girls, and Black girls with college-educated mothers, more body fat was associated with a lower probability of dating, even among nonobese girls. However, dating and sexual experience were unrelated to subsequent dieting and weight concerns. For both Blacks and Whites, body fat was the key determinant of dieting, weight dissatisfaction, and eating concerns. These findings indicate that adolescent girls' concerns about weight have a basis in real experiential differences, and efforts to promote healthy attitudes and eating habits may be more effective if the experiential implications of weight differences are taken into account. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between oral contraceptives and adolescent sexual behavior

The AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale, Public School Revision, was administered to 2,618 elementary-school children from 7 to 13 years of age. The sample of children included White, Black, and Spanish-surname groups from regular and special-education classes. Factor analyses of domain scores indicated four dimensions of adaptive behavior: Functional Autonomy, Interpersonal Adjustment, Social Responsibility, and Intrapersonal Adjustment. Comparison of factor structure across school classification and age groups revealed the same four dimensions for all groups. Implications for the assessment of adaptive behavior were discussed.     

Cognitive–behavioral therapy to reduce weight concerns improves smoking cessation outcome in weight-concerned women.

Women smokers concerned about weight gain (N?=?219) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 adjunct treatments accompanying group smoking cessation counseling: (a) behavioral weight control to prevent weight gain (weight control); (b) cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) to directly reduce weight concern, in which dieting was discouraged; and (c) standard counseling alone (standard), in which weight gain was not explicitly addressed. Ten sessions were conducted over 7 weeks, and no medication was provided. Continuous abstinence was significantly higher at posttreatment and at 6 and 12 months of follow-up for CBT (56%, 28%, and 21%, respectively), but not for weight control (44%, 18%, and 13%, respectively), relative to standard (31%, 12%, and 9%, respectively). However, weight control, and to a lesser extent CBT, was associated with attenuation of negative mood after quitting. Prequit body mass index, but not change in weight or in weight concerns postquit, predicted cessation outcome at 1 year. In sum, CBT to reduce weight concerns, but not behavioral weight control counseling to prevent weight gain, improves smoking cessation outcome in weight-concerned women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal socialization of adolescent smoking: The intergenerational transmission of parenting and smoking.

A longitudinal multigenerational design was used to examine the intergenerational transmission of smoking and the correlated transmission of parental support and control. Whether maternal socialization of adolescent smoking (both general parenting practices and smoking-specific strategies) would predict adolescent smoking both directly and indirectly by affecting peer affiliations was tested. There was strong evidence for the intergenerational transmission of cigarette smoking and for the relation between peer smoking and adolescent smoking. Both general parenting practices and smoking-specific discussion and punishment were significantly related to adolescents' smoking, especially for adolescent-reported parenting. Support for the intergenerational transmission of parenting practices emerged only in mothers' reports of support. Results suggest expanding current peer-focused prevention efforts to include parental socialization strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between self-efficacy, attributions, and weight loss in a weight rehabilitation program.

Assessed the relationship between self-efficacy, attributions, and weight loss in the context of a weight rehabilitation program. Pretreatment, posttreatment, and followup assessments of self-efficacy, weight loss, and success–failure attributions were obtained from 38 volunteer overweight women (aged 21–65 yrs) participating in the program. Self-efficacy was significantly enhanced as a result of treatment, although it was not significantly related to weight loss during treatment. However, changes in efficacy expectations during follow-up did coincide with weight change during those intervals. In addition, efficacy expectations alone at treatment termination were found to be a significant predictor of weight loss following a 6-wk and 6-mo follow-up. Success–failure attributions contributed significantly to the prediction of efficacy expectations during treatment and during the 6-wk follow-up. Weight loss during treatment was not a significant determinant of treatment-induced self-efficacy enhancement. Results are interpreted in light of the reciprocal interaction between actual behavior change and cognitive factors in the context of a rehabilitation program. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between in-treatment abstinence and post-treatment abstinence in a smoking cessation treatment.

Previous research has indicated that abstinence early in a smoking cessation program is predictive of successful posttreatment abstinence. However, it has not been established whether or not this effect is independent of other in-treatment abstinence patterns. In this paper the relationship between three potentially important aspects of in-treatment smoking abstinence and posttreatment smoking abstinence are examined: early abstinence, extended abstinence, and end-of-treatment abstinence. We examined the relationship between smoking behavior measured each weekday over 70 visits (approximately 14 weeks) of a contingency management smoking cessation program and at a follow-up visit 6 months after study entry (3 months after the scheduled end of treatment). Ninety-five of 102 participants were successfully followed-up. Seven of these 95 participants were confirmed abstinent. Early abstinence, defined as abstinence during the first 10 treatment visits, was significantly and independently related to follow-up abstinence (OR = 56.67 [7.29–440.63]). Extended abstinence and end-of-treatment abstinence were related to follow-up abstinence, but not independent of early abstinence based on multiple regression models. Inclusion of a variety of demographic and environmental characteristics did not significantly alter this relationship. Thus, consistent with the previous literature, the establishment of early abstinence appears to be crucial to establishing longer-term abstinence, independent of other in-treatment abstinence patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between self-efficacy and reductions in smoking in a contingency management procedure.

Social–cognitive and behavioral theories of change disagree on what the relevant controlling variables for initiating behavior change are. Correlations between baseline smoking cessation self-efficacy and the changes in breath carbon monoxide (CO) and the reduction in breath CO and increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy from baseline were obtained from a contingency management smoking cessation procedure. A test of the difference between the cross-lag correlations suggested a nonspurious causal relationship between smoking cessation self-efficacy and changes in breath CO. Path analyses showed that decreases in breath CO (reductions in smoking) predicted later increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy. Baseline self-reports of smoking cessation self-efficacy were not significantly correlated with subsequent changes in breath CO. Rather, significant correlations were found between reductions in breath CO and later increases in smoking cessation self-efficacy. These results suggest that self-efficacy may be a cognitive response to one’s own behavior, and are inconsistent with a social–cognitive view of self-efficacy’s role in behavior change. Implications for the development of smoking cessation programs and health-promoting behavior changes in general are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The natural history of cigarette smoking: Predicting young-adult smoking outcomes from adolescent smoking patterns.

Assessed the magnitude of risk that adolescent cigarette smoking carries for adult smoking, using longitudinal data from 4,156 Ss surveyed originally during Grades 6–12 and followed up after completion of high school. Even infrequent experimentation (i.e., smoking only a few cigarettes) in adolescence significantly raised the risk for adult smoking by a factor of 16 compared to nonsmoking adolescents. Relative risk was also increased by early onset of smoking and by a stable, uninterrupted course from experimentation to regular smoking. Data support the importance of primary prevention programs directed at adolescent populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anticipatory guidance for the adolescent. Parents' concerns

Parents' opinions regarding anticipatory guidance for adolescents have not been adequately investigated. In this study, 932 parents of adolescents completed a computerized questionnaire listing 30 common psychosocial-medical concerns of adolescence. Respondents were asked how important it is for private pediatricians to discuss these topics with their teenagers during regular checkups. Ten items were rated important by > or = 90% of parents, 22 items by > or = 80%, and 29 items by > or = 66%. Heeding parents' expectations and concerns, pediatricians should incorporate discussions of psychosocial-medical issues as a meaningful component of routine adolescent health care.     

The temporal relationship between emotional distress and cigarette smoking during adolescence and young adulthood.

Empirical evidence regarding the causal nature of the relationship between emotional distress and tobacco use in male and female adolescents provides support for both the distress-to-use and the use-to-distress hypotheses. Using a cross-lagged model with 3 waves of data from 2,961 adolescents followed into young adulthood, the authors tested the hypothesis that this relationship changes over time. As hypothesized, emotional distress in Grade 10 was associated with increased smoking in Grade 12 for both boys and girls. Smoking in Grade 12 was in turn associated with increased emotional distress in young adulthood. The addition of 3 third factors (rebelliousness, deviance, and family problems) to the model did not alter the results. Results suggest that the relationship between tobacco use and emotional distress is a dynamic one in which distress initially leads to use but then becomes exacerbated by it over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)