(RxWiki News) Parents should continue to stay on track and discourage kids from smoking. Previous research has determined that implementing anti-smoking rules in the household does have a positive effect.
A new study questions if family factors can influence a child's chance of smoking or not. Studies conducted by the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) have reiterated a timeless message, but remind parents to practice what they preach.
Kids tend to follow the parents and "follow suit" so to say. Family members do, in fact, have a huge impression on the children. Parents set the tone for their child's behavior, and parents who stayed involved with their kids decreased the risk of smoking initiation by as much as 30 percent.
"Talk to your kids about smoking and make your home tobacco free."
According to lead researcher E.Melinda Mahabee-Gittens, MD, children are less likely to smoke if their parents did not smoke and if their parents set a no smoking policy in the home. For this study, parents and children were assessed for family factors and smoking use with the National Survey of Parents and Youth.
The researchers documented the family behaviors in combination with whether or not the kids would smoke or not. Researche's concluded that the more involved the parents were in their children's life, and the more they set the tone to be a positive role model, the more likely their children would not smoke.
Parent’s shouldn’t quit when it comes to talking to their kids about smoking.
Hispanic and Caucasian children were 30 percent less likely to smoke when their parents educated them about smoking. Connectedness between the child and parent affected anti-smoking about 26% for African Americans and Hispanics.
The Study
- 3,473 couples with children that do not smoke participated in this study. The parents varied from Hispanic, Caucasian and African-American backgrounds). Results showed no difference in smoking and race
- Children were more likely to smoke if they were punished
- These studies took place between 1999-2003
