We do not know the causes of these increases in
overweight and obesity. Smoking cessation has been
suggested as a contributing factor.37 Our previous
analyses suggest that although smoking cessation
could account for some of the increase in overweight,
it does not explain the majority of the increase and
cannot be the sole contributing factor.38 Similar findings
on the effect of smoking on the prevalence of
overweight have been reported from Minnesota,
Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.2,39±41 Other
developing countries are experiencing similar trends
in overweight, although at a lower level. Reductions
in physical activity, often of a type that are difficult to
measure, may account for some of these trends.3