A model that included the two leading causes of preventable deaths, along with demographic covariates, indicated that medium/heavy cigarette smoking (HR = 1.545, 95%CI = 1.331–1.794) and obesity (BMI > 30: HR = 1.558, 95%CI = 1.204–2.014) were associated with higher risk of death. Occasional/light smokers were not at greater risk than never smokers (HR = 1.050, 95%CI = 0.878–1.255). Overweight (BMI = 25 to 30) individuals were not at greater risk of death compared to individuals with normal weight (HR = 1.106, 95%CI = 0.964–1.268). Additional analyses examined whether the associations of personality traits were mediated by smoking and obesity. Including these two risk factors, along with demographic covariates, had little effect on the risk associated with General Activity (HR = 0.987, 95%CI = 0.976–0.998) and Emotional Stability (HR = 0.985, 95%CI = 0.973–0.996), and slightly reduced the effect of Conscientiousness (HR = 0.978, 95%CI = 0.959–0.998).
