Association Of Body Weight To Smoking And Mental Health Differs By Gender

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 16 Nov 2008 - 1:00 PST

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Gender has a moderating role in the association between body weight and both smoking and mental health, a new study concludes. Researchers found that relative to their healthy-weight counterparts, overweight or obese men were less likely to smoke, whereas overweight women were more likely to smoke.

Data were collected from a statewide Minnesota telephone survey with a sample size of 16,289. Both smoking and mental health problems were examined in relation to relative body weight across the genders. The results showed that overweight or obese women were more likely to be current smokers, to view their mental health conditions negatively, and to have a mental health problem than healthy-weight women. In contrast with the men, either an association did not exist or the direction was reversed. "Gender-specific analysis may be a promising avenue for a full understanding of the association between body weight and behavioral health. In addition, the findings suggest that interventions may need to be gender-specific," the study's author stated.

"Gender as a Moderator in the Association of Body Weight to Smoking and Mental Health"
Eunkyung Park et al.
American Journal of Public Health

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly Journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of books and periodicals promoting sound scientific standards, action programs and public policy to enhance health. More information is available at www.apha.org.

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