To the Editor.—
The tendency for male cigarette smokers to weigh less than nonsmokers does not appear to be equally prevalent at all income levels. On the lower end of the economic scale, male cigarette smokers weigh substantially less than nonsmokers. The difference diminishes as income increases.
Data from a recent survey permits comparison of smoker and nonsmoker body weights among middle-aged and older men for three selected income classes.
Through the facilities of the Home Testing Institute, questionnaires were mailed to 1,120 male heads of household with family income of less than $5,000 per year, 744 with family income of $5,000 through $7,000, and 1,356 with family income of $12,000 and over. The mailing was further limited to men in the 41 to 70-year-old age brackets. Except for the specifications just noted, the mailing was national in scope, with substantial representation of all geographical areas of the continental United
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