Children of Smoking Addicts More Likely to Become Heavy Smokers

The longer children are exposed to the behavior of a parent addicted
to smoking, the more likely they are to start the
habit themselves and become a heavy smoker in the future, according to
new research from Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive
Cancer Center.

The study, published online today Monday,
suggests the sooner parents can quit smoking, the better. The problem,
however, is that individuals who are
characterized as "nicotine dependent" –
and are clinically addicted to smoking – often have the hardest time
quitting, says
Darren Mays, the study's lead investigator and an assistant professor of
oncology at Georgetown Lombardi.

"Anything we can do in terms of helping
those parents quit obviously reduces risk
for them and could potentially reduce the
likelihood their kids are smokers in the
future," Mays says.

Mays – along with the study's senior author Raymond Niaura, an adjunct
professor of oncology – looked at data from more than 400 parents and
their
participating oldest children between the
ages of 12 and 17. The parents were interviewed in the New England Family
Study about how long they had been
smoking, and the children were followed
and interviewed over the course of five
years about their smoking habits.

The team found that the longer a child was exposed to a parent who was
nicotine-dependent, the more risk he or
she had for smoking in the future.

"The message to any parent who smokes, based on prior research and
what we're seeing as well, is quitting
as soon as possible has obvious health benefits for them, and we're
seeing that it may have benefits for their kids in terms of preventing
risky behaviors in
the future," Mays says. "The key
message is that resources are available."

Posted by Chrisray

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