EATING BEHAVIOR AND WEIGHT CONTROL AMONG WOMEN USING SMOKELESS TOBACCO, CIGARETTES, AND NORMAL CONTROLS

Although considerable research has investigated the use of cigarette s moking for weight management, the potential role of smokeless tobacco (ST) use in dieting behavior has not been explored. Several measures d esigned to assess dieting behavior, attitudes toward eating, and tobac co use were administered to adult women using ST (n = 18), cigarettes (n = 20), and no tobacco (n = 20). Use of tobacco for weight loss was prevalent among the women smoking cigarettes. Nearly half the women in the cigarette-smoking group (45%) reported use of cigarettes to assis t in weight loss, and only three (16.6%) of the women in the ST group indicated use of ST for such purposes. No significant differences were observed across groups on measures of dietary restraint or attitudes toward eating. Issues of dieting and weight control may not be importa nt factors in prompting ST use. Implications and areas for further res earch are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.