Title | Smoking Cessation and Changes in Body Mass Index Among Middle Aged and Older Adults. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2018 |
Authors | Sharma, A |
Journal | Journal of Applied Gerontology: The Official Journal of the Southern Gerontological Society |
Volume | 37 |
Issue | 8 |
Pagination | 1012-1036 |
ISSN Number | 1552-4523 |
Keywords | BMI, Health Shocks, Older Adults, Smoking |
Abstract | OBJECTIVE: This study contributes to the body of literature examining smoking cessation and body mass index (BMI) for adults aged 50 and older. METHOD: Utilizing the 2004 and 2010 waves of the RAND Health and Retirement Study, this analysis utilized Fixed Effects (FE) regression on a sample of 1,316 adults aged 50 and older. RESULTS: Older adults undergo a small change in BMI after a transition from smoking to nonsmoking during a 6-year period, and this occurs after accounting for individual-level unobserved heterogeneity. More specifically, men experience a BMI gain of 1.24 (p< .01) and women experience a BMI gain of 1.58 (p< .01). DISCUSSION: Gerontologists/health professionals can use these results to inform older adults about the potential for a small increase in BMI and, in the process, assuage any apprehensions about excessive weight gain. This insight may encourage a greater number of older adults to cease smoking. |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27353834 |
DOI | 10.1177/0733464816655438 |
Alternate Journal | J Appl Gerontol |
Citation Key | 8509 |
PubMed ID | 27353834 |