Effect of New Diagnoses on Smoking and Weight Change

In the U.S., approximately 20% of people older than 25 smoke, and two thirds of adults (age range, 20–75) are overweight or obese. Using longitudinal survey data (from 1992 through 2000) from 20,000 middle-aged individuals (age, <75), a researcher assessed whether people who received adverse health diagnoses were more likely to alter their smoking behavior or weight than those who did not receive such diagnoses.

Mean body-mass index decreased by 0.35 kg/m² in overweight or obese people after new diagnoses and was unchanged in those who did not receive such diagnoses. Of approximately 8000 smokers, 18% quit. After controlling for confounders, smokers with new diagnoses were three times more likely to quit than were smokers without new health …