More than 80 million
American adults are smokers, obese or both and
face an increased risk of poor health and an
early death, researchers said.
They used data from a 2002 national health
interview survey to estimate the proportion
of adults in the United States who have one
or both problems.
Roughly four percent of Americans, or 9 million
people, fall into both categories with a disproportionate
number among the poor and those who have a low
education.
"Nearly 41.5 percent of adults (81 million
aged 18 or older) in the US are obese or smoke
and about 4.7 percent smoke and are obese,"
said Cherly Healton, the head of the anti-tobacco
organization American Legacy Foundation in Washington.
"Obesity and cigarette smoking are primary
risk factors for several chronic conditions
and early death in a large number of people
in the United States," she added.
The research published in the British Medical
Journal showed that 23.5 percent of adults were
obese and 22.7 percent smoked.
Among people who were obese and smoked, the
proportion was higher in African Americans than
other racial or ethnic groups.
Research has shown that smoking is a leading
cause of preventable death. It increases the
risk of heart attack and stroke, respiratory
problems as well as lung and other types of
cancer.
Obesity raises the odds of suffering from diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, joint problems, depression
and some cancers.
Healton and her colleagues called for more
research into treatments for people who smoke
and are obese.
"Clinical trials should monitor the effects
of programs aimed at simultaneous stopping smoking
and weight control to document and respond to
any unintended consequences," she added in the
study.
