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4842.0.55.001 - Overweight and Obesity in Adults in Australia: A Snapshot, 2007–08  
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/05/2011  First Issue
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Smoker status

Smoking causes a marked increase in a person's metabolic rate and tends to reduce their food intake compared with that of non-smokers(footnote 1) . Several studies have reported that people tend to gain weight after they have quit smoking(footnote 2) .

In 2007-08, adult men who were ex-smokers were more likely to be overweight or obese (76%) than current smokers (60%) or those who had never smoked (65%) (Graph 5.2). In particular, men who had quit smoking were more likely to be obese (32%) than those who still smoked (24%) and those who had never smoked (21%). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of obesity for women who were ex-smokers, current smokers or had never smoked.

5.2 Proportion of people overweight or obese(a)(b), by Smoker status


1 Chiolero, A., Faeh, D., Paccaud, F., and Cornu, J. 2008, American Journal of clinical nutrition: Consequences of smoking for body weight, body fat distribution, and insulin resistance Am J Clin Nutr 2008;87:801–9. Available fromhttp://www.ajcn.org/content/87/4/801.full.pdf+html <back
2 Lahti-Koski, M et al. 2002, ‘Associations of body mass index and obesity with physical activity, food choices, alcohol intake, and smoking in the 1982-1997 FINRISK Studies’, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; no 75, pp. 909-17. Available from http://www.ajcn.org/content/75/5/809.full.pdf+html

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