Adolescent's Weight Concerns and the Onset of Smoking

Abstract

The hypothesis that adolescents start smoking because they perceive it as a strategy to control their weight was examined. At the same time, we controlled for sociodemographic, individual, and parental factors. Longitudinal data were collected among 428 Dutch families (mother, father, and two siblings between 13 and 16 years of age) in two measurements: the first in 2002-2003 and the second a year later. Logistic regression analyses supported the hypothesis: weight control motives to smoke were positively related with smoking initiation. The study's limitations and implications are discussed.