Women ‘twice as likely to smoke to lose weight’

Women are twice as likely as men to smoke to try to lose weight, according to the results of a new trial.

Cancer Research UK conducted a study into why people smoke and revealed only half of smokers said they did so for enjoyment and to help cope with stress.

Men were more likely to smoke to help them socialise and to give them confidence, while women were more likely to smoke to help them lose weight and to deal with anxiety.

Dr Jenny Fidler, an author of the paper who is based at Cancer Research UK’s health behaviour research centre at University College London, said: “This study has shown there are key differences in motives for continued smoking. We need to look at these motives more closely to see how relevant they are when it comes to giving up.”

Recent research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed 93 per cent of people supported a smoking ban in restaurants, while 75 per cent agreed with the ban in pubs.