Weight-related concerns associated with smoking in young children

Studies have shown that weight concern is associated with smoking in adolescents. However, little is known about the relationship between weight concern and smoking in younger children. Analyses were conducted to determine whether children in elementary school who had tried smoking would possess greater weight concern than those who had not tried smoking. Results indicated that smokers possessed more general weight concern, F(1, 640)=5.619, p=.018, reported more dieting, F(1, 707)=11.757, p=.001, and endorsed greater concern with body size, F(1, 707)=4.113, p=.043, than non-smokers. Similar to adolescents, these results suggest that young children who have tried smoking are more concerned about weight than children who have not tried smoking.