Link between Smoking and Body Weight among Adolescents

Trends in smoking rates among adolescents indicate that white females generally smoke more than their adolescent counterparts, the only substance in which this occurs. Another trend in which white females far outnumber any other adolescent group is eating disorders. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between cigarette smoking and perception of weight among adolescents using the Adolescent Health Public Dataset. While white females reported the highest daily smoking rates (17.7%) vs. white males (16.7%), whites also reported four times the rate of daily smoking compared to blacks (black female: 4.2%, black male: 1.6%; p<.0001). Also, while the number of respondents defined as overweight by BMI were relatively equal (male 6.2% and female 6.3%), females were twice as likely (4.5%) to perceive themselves as overweight compared to males (2.4%; p<.0001). Far more females (40.5%) reported needing to lose weight compared to males (25.0%; p<.0001). Logistic regression models were constructed to test the relationship between cigarette smoking and weight perception, controlling for race, age and BMI. For females, there was a link between cigarette smoking and perception of overweight indicating that females who perceive themselves as overweight are 2.12 times more likely to smoke cigarettes (p<.05). Actively trying to lose weight, however, was not predictive of cigarette use. There was no relationship between the weight variables and smoking among the males. Understanding the reasons behind the trends is vital when developing policy or education programs.