Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #101813

Elissa D. Thorner, BS¹, Eric T. Moolchan, MD¹, Maria Gasior, PhD, MD², and Jennifer Schroeder, PhD³. (1) Teen Tobacco Addiction Research Clinic, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 5500 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, (410)550-1416, ethorner@intra.nida.nih.gov, (2) Teen Tobacco Addiction Treatment Research Clinic, National Institute on Drug Abuse, 5500 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, (3) National Institute on Drug Abuse, 5500 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224

The relationship between weight concerns and smoking has been well documented. The objectives of this study were to determine whether weight concerns are associated with treatment outcome or weight gain among adolescents enrolled in a cessation study (1) comparing girls with boys, and (2) comparing Caucasian and African American girls. The sample consisted of 115 volunteers (13-17yrs.) enrolled in a smoking cessation trial. The average years smoked was 3.9±2.0 years. Pre-treatment weight concerns were assessed using the Eating Disorders module from the Diagnosis Interview for the Children and the Adolescent (DICA-IV) and aggregated into 3 dimensions: fear of obesity, dieting/disordered eating behavior, and perceived overweight. Height and weight were measured prior to treatment and at each treatment visit. Abstinence from smoking at the 3-month follow-up visit was determined using self-report and expired air CO 6ppm. Each dimension of weight concerns were reported more frequently by girls than by boys; this difference was statistically significant for dieting behavior (chi square (1)=6.85, p=0.0089) and perceived overweight (chi square(1)=8.06, p=0.0045). Among girls, each dimension of weight concerns was reported more frequently by Caucasians, with statistically significant differences only for fear obesity (Fisher's exact p=0.031) and dieting behaviors (Fisher's exact p=0.0012). No dimension of weight concerns were significantly associated with mean weight change during the study, study retention, or abstinence from smoking. Preliminary findings from our sample suggest that successful adolescent tobacco cessation was not associated with short-term weight gain or self-perception of weight and as a result did it adversely affect outcome.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify if tobacco-dependant adolescents gain weight post cessation and if so, how much weight is typically gained.
• Determine if gender and/or race affect weight gain.
• Assess those who have identified disordered eating patterns, fear weight gain, or who perceive themselves as being overweight have less success with cessation

Keywords: Adolescent Health, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.