Cigarette Smoking as a Confounder of the Relationship Between Relative Weight and Long-term Mortality

Cigarette smoking is a potential confounder of the relationship between obesity and mortality, and statistical control for this factor requires careful consideration. Framingham Heart Study subjects were weighed, their stature measured, and cigarette smoking histories obtained at the first biennial examination starting in 1949. Of men under desirable weight (Metropolitan relative weight MRW, JAMA1983;249:2199-2203)