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Open Access Relationship of Weight Concerns to Body Mass Index in a Tobacco Treatment Program

Objectives: Our aim was to examine the relationship between weight concerns (WC) and smoking cessation. Methods: WC was assessed before smoking cessation treatment in 671 adult patients who completed a 12-month follow-up visit at the Centre for Tobacco-Dependent, Prague, Czech Republic, from 2013 through 2019. We evaluated the abstinence rate at 12-month follow-up. Results: Among 669 patients with baseline WC (mean age, 43.4 years), 47% were women (145/306) and 21% were men (78/363). No association existed between WC and abstinence at 12 months. Smokers with obesity had increased fear of gaining weight (34% versus 24% of overweight and 23% of healthy-weight smokers) (p=.034) and were less confident in their ability to maintain their current weight (36% versus 55% of overweight smokers and 59% of healthy- weight smokers) (p<.001). Conclusions: Many smokers are concerned about gaining weight after stopping smoking, but in this cohort of patients, having WC was not associated with 12-month abstinence, but obesity or overweight was related to being afraid of postcessation weight-gain and low confidence for maintaining weight. Practitioners should be aware of the prevalence of WC in those stopping smoking and should address concerns, such as poor motivation and low confidence about managing their weight.

Keywords: OBESITY; SMOKING CESSATION; WEIGHT CONCERN; WEIGHT GAIN

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and the General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic 2: Centre for Tobacco-Dependent of the Third Medical Department, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and the General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic 3: the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA 4: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology and Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA 5: Division of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA 6: Nicotine Dependence Center, Division of General Internal Medicine, and Division of Epidemiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA;, Email: [email protected]

Publication date: April 1, 2023

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  • The American Journal of Health Behavior seeks to improve the quality of life through multidisciplinary health efforts in fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

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