If you needed one more reason to quit smoking, this might be it. The more time a child is exposed to a parent addicted to smoking, the more likely the youth will take up cigarettes and become a heavy smoker, according to a new study in Pediatrics. Researchers compared different patterns of parental smoking and how that impacts their children’s smoking initiation, concluding that children exposed to more years of parental smoking are more likely to become regular smokers.
Roughly 400 adolescents ages 12 to 17 and a parent completed baseline interviews about parental smoking history, including timing and duration, current smoking, and nicotine dependence. Adolescents with parents who were nicotine-dependent smokers at the baseline interview were more likely to be regular smokers and early experimenters with each additional year of previous exposure to parental smoking.
So seek help if you’re struggling with nicotine addiction, for both your sake and your child’s health in the future.