title: Early cigarette use and psychological distress as predictors of obesity risk in adulthood.
abstract: The study examined the simultaneous longitudinal relationships of cigarette use in adolescence to continuing cigarette use, psychological distress, physical activity, subjective rating of health in emerging adulthood and, finally, to body mass index (BMI) in early adulthood. The study utilized data (N=414) from a drug abuse prevention trial, Midwestern Prevention Project, with subjects participating from ages 11-34 years. Structural equation modeling showed that cigarette use in early adolescence had direct paths to distress in the beginning of emerging adulthood, which in turn had significant relationships to cigarette use, physical activity, and subjective rating of health in mid-emerging adulthood. Finally, both cigarette use and physical activity had significant negative relationships to BMI in early adulthood. Results suggest that prevention programs that have been previously applied to either cigarette use or distress prevention might be re-examined for their potential to also affect obesity risk in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Southern California, Alhambra, CA 91803, USA. guneetka@usc.edu
authors.forename: Guneet Kaur
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Jasuja
authors.forename: Chih-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Nathaniel R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Riggs
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pentz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology