American women who believe smoking helps control weight are less likely than other female smokers to try quitting in response to higher cigarette prices and anti-smoking messages, a new study finds.
“We found that concerns about weight are a significant barrier to quitting among U.K. smokers and U.S. female smokers who believe smoking helps them manage weight,” said lead author Ce Shang, of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Researchers analyzed data from about 10,000 smokers in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom who took part in surveys conducted between 2002 and 2007.
A 10 percent increase in cigarette prices was associated with a 6 percent rise in attempts to quit among female smokers in the United States who did not believe that smoking helps control weight. But no significant increase in attempts to quit was seen among those who thought smoking keeps weight down, the findings showed.