Epidemiologic studies regarding relationships between overweight/obesity and nicotine dependence yield mixed results. In one study, overweight and obese men were more likely to be former daily smokers than current smokers or non-smokers, but the relationship was not observed in women (John, Meyer, Rumpf, Hapke, & Schumann, 2006). In another study, current smokers had comparable obesity risk overall to non-smokers, but risk for obesity increased with number of cigarettes per day among smokers (Chiolero, Jacot-Sadowski, Faeh, Paccaud, & Cornuz, 2007). One study of young adults found higher rates of smoking among obese individuals relative to their overweight and normal weight counterparts, and obese smokers smoked more cigarettes per day than overweight or normal weight smokers (Zimlichman et al., 2005). In a nationally representative sample, overweight, obesity and extreme obesity were associated with lower risk for past-year nicotine dependence in men but not in women (Pickering et al., 2007).
