This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1403494809344654v1 37/7/774    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Reas, D. L Articles by Sørensen, T. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Reas, D. L Articles by Sørensen, T. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Do quitters have anything to lose? Changes in body mass index for daily, never, and former smokers over an 11-year period (1990—2001)

Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway, Regional Eating Disorders Service (RASP), Psychiatric Division, Oslo University Hospital - Ullevål, Oslo, Norway, d.l.reas{at}medisin.uio.no

Jan F Nygård

Cancer Registry of Norway

Tom Sørensen

Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway

Aims: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether body mass index (BMI) trajectories differed between daily smokers, never smokers, and former daily smokers among a population-based sample over an 11-year period. Methods: A cohort of 1,166 adults (n = 579 men; n = 587 women) self-reported BMI during a general health interview twice administered in two regions in Norway. Of the participants, 37.5% were never smokers, 31.6% current smokers, and 31% were former smokers. Results: Those who had quit smoking within the past five years had the highest age-adjusted BMI increase, gaining 3 kg and 5 kg more weight on average than current smokers (women and men, respectively). No significant differences in weight gain over the 11-year period existed between never smokers and former smokers who had quit five years ago. Conclusions: Our finding that former daily smokers ( five years since quitting) demonstrated equivalent BMI increases to never smokers (1990—2001) is in line with evidence suggesting that the average body weight of quitters tends to stabilize over time to levels of never smokers. As post-cessation weight gain often represents a barrier to successful quitting, improved knowledge about the temporal and variable effects of smoking cessation on long-term weight outcome may strengthen motivational enhancement and relapse prevention efforts.

Key Words: Body mass index • obesity • smoking cessation • weight gain

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 37, No. 7, 774-777 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1403494809344654


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?