Objectives: To examine the relationship between smoking and weight status in adult women and whether this association differed by race.
Methods: The study sample consisted of 22,949 African American and 7831 white women enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study from 2002 to 2006.
Results: Both African American and white current smokers had decreased odds of being overweight or obese compared to normal-weight nonsmokers, and the inverse trends between current smoking and BMI held for both groups.
Conclusion: A strong relationship exists between smoking and weight status, with patterns nearly identical for African Americans and white women.