Trade-off between obesity and tobacco consumption

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that obesity and tobacco prevalence rates are moving in the opposite direction. This study examines the causal relationship between these variables in Argentina. The effects of tobacco consumption on body weight are estimated by using instrumental variables to address endogeneity problems. To this end, the entry into force of provincial laws on tobacco control at different times are exploited. Our results show that smoking has a negative impact on three weight measures (BMI, weight in kilograms, obesity rate). This finding suggests that anti-smoking measures should be complemented with nutritional controls and the promotion of physical exercise.