Concern about weight gain associated with quitting smoking: Prevalence andassociation with outcome in a sample of young female smokers

This study investigated the relationship between weight gain concern and ou tcomes of a large-scale smoking cessation study among 506 young female smok ers attending Planned Parenthood clinics. Results of this prospective study did not support the clinical importance of weight gain concerns. Using an index of weight concern that was predictive in previous research, baseline weight concern was unrelated to smoking cessation efforts, whether particip ants made a quit attempt, reduced the number of cigarettes they smoked, or reported a change in self-efficacy fur stopping smoking. Both the overall l evel of concern expressed in this sample of predominantly White young women and the lack of relationship between weight gain concern and smoking cessa tion outcomes suggest that weight gain concern may not be a critical factor for cessation programs targeting similar female smokers.