The connection between parental and teen smoking is no secret. There have been a series of research on this issue and pretty much all of them have established a strong link between the two. Yet, some parents still think very little of puffing a cigarette in front of their teens, oblivious to the implications of their irresponsible behavior for their young ones. A study recently published in the journal Pediatrics has highlighted the dangers of smoking in front of teens. The findings are nothing short of alarming despite making no mention of secondhand smoke dangers.

The connection between parental and teen smoking

Investigating the multi-faceted dangers of smoking in the presence of teens, researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center learned that the longer adolescents remain exposed to their parents’ smoking habit, the greater is the likelihood for them to become early and regular smokes. During the course of the study, the researchers followed 400 teens and one of their parents. All participants were interviewed about their respective smoking histories in year 1. The teens were then interviewed again in year 2 and eventually in year 5 of the study. Upon analyzing the responses of the participants, it was deduced that kids with parents who’re currently addicted to nicotine are 10 times more likely to experiment with cigarettes at an early age than those with non-smoking parents.

Furthermore, of the 24 kids who had started smoking regularly by age 14, 16 of them had a parent who was a regular smoker themselves, while five teens had non-smoking parents. Intriguingly, only three kids with a parent who had quit smoking were puffing a cigarette regularly at such a young age.

The message is loud and clear

The recent research findings leave no doubt about the connection that exists between parental smoking and teens developing a similar habit. In order to keep the latter from becoming smokers and putting their health at risk, parents need to break away from their nicotine addiction as early as possible. Their addiction doesn’t only take a toll on their own health, but also pulls their adolescents into the heavy smoking trajectory. Health and childcare groups need to protect kids from nicotine addiction by encouraging and helping parents to distance themselves from their smoking habit for the sake of their young ones.

Quitting smoking may seem challenging, especially for parents who’ve been addicted to nicotine for years. But the choice is very simple for them; keep smoking and have a negative influence on their kids, or quit it and teach abstinence to their young ones as well.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/13/us-teen-smoking-parents-idUSKBN0DT1QV20140513