Smoking habits of the morbidly obese prior to gastroplasty

Smokers weigh less on average than nonsmokers, but there is little data on the smoking habits of the severely obese. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and may add to the existing risk among obese individuals. The purpose of this article is to report on smoking habits of a group of morbidly obese individuals being considered for surgery, to compare these smoking levels to those in the general population, and to assess the relationship between smoking and hypertension in this group. In Canada as in other countries, smoking prevalence has decreased in recent years, but it remains a major health problem.