Obese and Overweight Teens More Likely to Become Regular Cigarette Smokers

Overweight or obese teens are more likely to smoke cigarettes regularly, a new study has revealed.

A latest piece of research, documented in the American Journal of Health Behavior, looked at whether overweight or obese teens face a higher a risk for substance abuse. For this, they conducted a survey of American teens. The researchers were surprised to see that there existed no correlation between weight status and use of alcohol or marijuana, but a strong association existed between excess body weight and regular cigarette smoking.

They worked on the data retrieved from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, in which more than 15,000 teens were questioned about their mental and physical health in 1995, 1996 and 2001. As a part of the study, the young adults were asked to report their height and weight so that the researchers can determine their body mass index, and then they were asked about their use of cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana.

The researchers found a strong correlation between high BMI and cigarette smoking in adolescents. When compared to teens with normal or average weight, obese or overweight teens were observed to be more vulnerable to abusing alcohol or marijuana.

"Young people smoke cigarettes for a variety of reasons," Lanza said.

"For overweight or obese adolescents, the increased desire to improve social standing or fit in with others may also increase the probability of engaging in regular cigarette smoking," said lead author H. Isabella Lanza, Ph.D. "Cigarettes may also be used because they are thought to suppress appetite and help with weight reduction."

There has been a long debate on whether any correlation exists between overweight adults and substance abuse. But, the results produced by most of the studies have been inappropriate. However, this latest study makes things clearer.