Appearance concerns and smoking in young men and women: Going beyond weight control

The Role of Snack Choices, Body Weight Stereotypes and Smoking Behavior in Assessing Risk Factors for Adolescent Overweight and Obesity

This study investigated the relationship of behavioral factors, such as snack choices, obesity stereotypes and smoking with adolescents’ body weight. Individual-level data for 1254 Greek youths were selected via a formal questionnaire. Snack choices seem to be gender specific with girls showing a stronger preference for healthier snacks. Frequent consumption of high-calorie and more filling snacks was found to increase Body Mass Index (BMI) in both genders. Fruit/vegetable snacks were associated with lower body weight in females, whereas cereal/nut snacks had a negative influence in males’ BMI. The majority of participants expressed anti-fat attitudes and more boys than girls assigned positive attributes to lean peers. The endorsement of the thin-ideal was positively associated with the BMI of both adolescent boys and girls. This study also revealed that neglecting potential endogeneity issues can lead to biased estimates of smoking. Gender may be a crucial moderator of smoking–BMI relationships. Male smokers presented a higher obesity risk, whereas female smokers were more likely to be underweight. Nutrition professionals should pay attention to increase the acceptance of healthy snack options. Gender differences in the influence of weight stereotypes and smoking on BMI should be considered in order to enhance the efficacy of obesity prevention interventions.

Comparisons of health-related and appearance-related smoking risk perceptions and worry on motivation to quit

This research examined main and interactive associations of perceived risk and worry of health and appearance smoking consequences on motivation to quit and the relative importance of each of these. Hierarchical regressions controlling for other measures found that perceived conditional risk and worry of health consequences were associated with motivation to quit; only conditional risk of appearance consequences was associated with motivation to quit. Relative weights analysis indicated that perceived conditional risk of appearance consequences and worry about health consequences were the most important variables in the model. Consideration of appearance consequences may aid in motivating smokers to try quitting.

Male smokers' experiences of an appearance-focused facial-ageing intervention

This study investigated 30 male smokers' experiences of an appearance-focused, facial-ageing intervention. Individual interviews ( n = 21) and three focus groups ( n = 9) were conducted. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Male smokers explained that viewing the impacts of smoking on their own faces was the most effective part of the intervention and 22 men (73%) said that they intended quitting smoking or reducing number of cigarettes smoked post-intervention. It is recommended that designers of appearance-focused interventions target men in the future as the current findings demonstrated that the majority of men engaged well with the intervention.

The relationship between weight and smoking in a national sample of adolescents: Role of gender

This study sought to investigate the role of weight status and body mass index percentile in risky smoking behaviors in male and female adolescents. Analyses of the data obtained in the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System were conducted. The national sample size included 15,425 adolescents. Questions addressing weight status and smoking behaviors were used in analyses. Significant effects of perceived weight status, weight change status, and body mass index percentile on smoking behaviors were found for both genders. The current findings indicate the importance of accounting for both gender and weight status when developing prevention and cessation programs targeting smoking behaviors.

Body satisfaction and sexual health in Dutch female university students

Studies in the field of body image have primarily addressed its negative aspects, such as body dissatisfaction. The present study focused instead on women who are satisfied with their bodies and on how body satisfaction relates to sexual health. A sample of 319 Dutch female university students completed an online survey that included items about body image evaluation, body image investment, overweight preoccupation, body image affect during sexual activity, sexual frequency, sexual functioning, and sexual self-esteem. We found that the level of body dissatisfaction was minimal in our sample. The majority reported neutral or mildly positive body evaluations, and in 30% of the sample these evaluations were clearly positive. Comparisons between women who reported positive versus neutral body evaluations showed that the body-satisfied women had lower body mass indexes (BMIs) and reported less body image investment, less overweight preoccupation, and less body self-consciousness during sexual activity. With regard to sexual health, they reported higher sexual self-esteem and better sexual functioning. Furthermore, we found that body image self-consciousness was negatively associated with sexual functioning, sexual self-esteem, and frequency of sexual activity with a partner. Body satisfaction did not account for a portion of the relationship of body self-consciousness during sexual activity with sexual health.

Women smokers' experiences of an age-appearance anti-smoking intervention: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVES

This study was designed to investigate women's experiences of engaging in an age-appearance anti-smoking intervention.

METHODS

Ten 18- to 34-year-old women gave accounts of their experiences after engaging in an age-appearance facial morphing anti-smoking intervention in interviews (n= 7) and a focus group (n= 3), and 37 women gave their accounts while they were engaged in the intervention. Transcripts were analysed using a thematic analysis broadly informed by the procedures of Grounded Theory.

RESULTS

Women were very concerned about the impact of ageing on their faces in general, and in particular the additional impact of smoking on their skin. Women were concerned about other people's reactions to them as older smokers with wrinkled skin, and many experienced a physical shock reaction (including reports of nausea) to seeing how they would age if they continued to smoke. They reported that seeing their own face aged on the computer screen increased their perceived risk of skin wrinkling. Women reported being highly motivated to quit smoking as a result of the intervention, and many reported that they would take active steps to quit having seen how they would look if they continued to smoke. This was linked with increased perceived personal responsibility for quitting.

CONCLUSIONS

Results are discussed in relation to suggestions for anti-smoking interventions aimed at women in the 18- to 34-year-old age group. It is concluded that interventions incorporating age-appearance morphing techniques are likely to be effective in helping women to take active steps to quit smoking.