Smoking, Obesity Pose Greatest Risk to Most Disadvantaged Americans
Nearly nine million adults in the United States are affected by both obesity and smoking, two of the nation's top public health epidemics, according to recent research by the American Legacy Foundation®, published in the June issue of the British Medical Journal. The research also indicates that while this figure is low compared to the millions of Americans affected by smoking and obesity independently, smoking and obesity in combination greatly impact America's most disadvantaged populations – those with the least amount of education and those in the lowest income bracket. In fact, more than 2.3 million Americans with income levels of less than $20,000 both smoke and are obese.
According to the report, which uses data from the 2000 National Health Interview Survey, 81 million Americans were smokers, obese, or both in 2000. The foundation said the research demonstrates that further action is needed to develop treatment options for obese smokers, particularly for African Americans and people from lower income and education levels. Both groups have a higher prevalence rate of being obese smokers.
