The main objective of the author was to establish the relationship between the reasons why females practice cigarette smoking with the notion that the behavior helps to control body weight. The author wishes to establish that the same objective can be achieved through other means such as physical activity. The author intends to examine the effects of a behavioral task. Body image exposure was meant initiate concerns on body weight and their image among women. The women’s ages ranged between 18 to 24 years. It is also important to note that they did not have the same levels of physical activity when they were compared side by side.
The hypothesis under examination is whether there are many female smokers who have developed cigarette smoking for the purpose of enhancing their body image. The women are presumed to believe that cigarette smoking tends to reduce their body weight, which in turn improves their body image in the long run. The hypothesis also incorporates another variable, physical activity. The hypothesis asserts that physical activity may be the cause of attenuation for the urge to smoke.
In the context of statistical analysis, the study employs the use of ranges. The ages of the women being studied are not concentrated on one specific figure. The ages range from 18 to 24. The author also employs the use of a cue reactivity paradigm. The paradigm has 16 sedentary female smokers while the other 21 are physically active. The two groups are assumed to use more than 5 cigarettes per day for every one of them. T-tests have been used to examine the increase in personal urge by the smokers to use cigarettes after they have used them for a certain period of time. Correlation is also used to establish the effect of cigarette use n the Body mass Index of the female users.
I would not have included any other variables in the study. This is because the author has covered the relationship comprehensively b y making use of the Body Mass Index variable. The BMI variable is an accurate measure of body weight variations hence its incorporation into the study ensures that the relationship has been well established.
The study assumes that the physical activity among the ladies has some variations. The variation may be due to the professions that they are engaged. It also assumes that the sampled number of women is an accurate representation of the entire population of women who smoke for the purpose of body image enhancement. The study is limited to a certain range when it comes to the ages of the women.
In would have increased the range of the ages of the women under study. A bigger range would imply that a larger section of the population is studied which is bound to increase the level of accuracy of the findings of the study (Psujek, Martz, Curtin & Michael, 2004, p.2).
References
Psujek, J. K., Martz, D. M., Curtin, L., & Michael, K. D. (2004). Gender differences in the association among nicotine dependence, body image, depression, and anxiety within a college population. Addictive Behaviors. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2003.08.031
Sweeting, H. N., West, P. B., & Der, G. J. (2007). Explanations for female excess psychosomatic symptoms in adolescence: evidence from a school-based cohort in the West of Scotland. BMC Public Health. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-7-298
