According to a new NBER working paper, "among teenagers who smoke frequently, 46% of girls and 30% of boys are smoking in part to control their weight. This practice is significantly more common among youths who describe themselves as too fat than those who describe themselves as about the right weight."

"Smoking for weight control is particularly common among white girls and those who consider themselves too fat."

So a kid who thinks s/he is too fat is more likely to start smoking?

How awful.

I've considered it myself...

Jason, NO.

Fear of gaining wait is the # 1 reason smokers don't quit.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/stop-smoking-pictures/10-smoking-myths-that-can-keep-you-addicted.aspx#/slide-1

The best way to quit is to replace an unhealthy addiction with a healthy one, like exercise, which will do all the things you think cigarettes are doing for you now:  manage your weight and reduce stress.

"Public health efforts to reduce smoking initiation and encourage cessation may wish to design campaigns to alter the derived nature of cigarette demand, especially among adolescent girls."

So bombard us with images of fat people smoking!