Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Parents may pass smoking habits onto their children
By Staff Writer
Parents who are smokers may want to pay attention to the findings of a recent study on how habits can be transmitted within the home. The research revealed the possibility of inter-generational transmission of smoking habits, which may lead to addiction in families.
The study, which was published in the journal Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, utilized research from the British Household Panel Study 1994-2002. This data was selected as it provided detailed information on products that were consumed in households, including tobacco, according to the researchers.
Findings indicated that a son was 24 percent more likely to smoke if his parents used cigarettes. For daughters, there was a 23 percent increased chance of picking up the habit if both parents were smokers. If neither a mother nor father had a smoking addiction, there was only a 12 percent chance that children of either gender would start using tobacco.
In addition, the study revealed that mothers and fathers were more likely to pass a smoking habit onto their children of the same gender.
Based on their results, the researchers believe that public policies that reduce a parent's smoking habits will also have an impact on their children's use of cigarettes.
