Obesity as Unhealthy as Smoking: Poll.............Most Americans now consider obesity as risky to their health as smoking, according to a new Gallup Poll. Results of the survey of 1,001 adults show 83% view obesity as very harmful to one's health, compared with 79% who said the same about smoking. Researchers say the results reveal a new view of obesity's health risks, and show that medical knowledge about the negative health effects of being overweight has entered the American mind-set.