U.S. researchers conclude obesity is as bad as smoking

William Atkins
Tuesday, 05 January 2010 19:26

Science - Health

According to New York researchers in the United States, obesity is becoming more of a problem to people’s quality of life as more people eat larger amounts of food, and smoking is becoming less of a problem as fewer people smoke. Consequently, they claim obesity is equal to, or worse than, smoking in its negative impact on one's quality of life.


U.S. researchers Haomiao Jia (assistant professor of clinical biostatistics [nursing], at Columbia University, New York City) and Erica I. Lubetkin (assistant professor of medicine, at The City College of New York) wrote the summary of their research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM).

The title of their paper in the February 2010 issue of the journal is “Trends in Quality-Adjusted Life-Years Lost Contributed by Smoking and Obesity” (volume 38, issue 2, February 2010).

The two researchers analyzed data from the 1993-2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveiliance System (BRFSS), which is a study of over 3.5 million people based on annual interviews.

The questions asked by the BRFSS included those asking about Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL).

The HRQOL measures the effects of chronic illness with respect to its affect on a person’s dailylife. Questions include such factors as number of poor health days, overall physical health, and overall mental health.

The HRQOl provides leeway for the individual to state what he or she considers the particular reason for their particular health problem and to give specific reasons for their quality of life or lack of quality of life.

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