Children See, Children Do

Since 1981 the number of smokers in Canada has been dropping for almost every age group except for children and adolescents.¹ Among smokers aged 15-17, almost 80% said they had tried smoking by age 14.

Facts

• Parental smoking is a key factor in children accepting smoking as normal.²
• Research has found³ that children of smokers were almost twice as likely to smoke as children with parents who never smoked.
• If someone in the family smokes, there is a greater chance that a younger sibling will start smoking.^2,4
• Children who believe that their parents would disapprove of their smoking are less likely to take up smoking than those who see their parents smoking.⁵
• Tobacco use among teen smokers is a predictor of substance and drug abuse.⁶
• The smoking behaviour of a best friend or peer group is a major factor in taking up smoking. If their friends smoke, the child/adolescent will likely smoke as well.⁷
  
• Research on teenage attitudes has shown that smoking represents a symbol of belonging to a social group, particularly in early secondary school.^4,7
• For children and adolescents, smoking signifies maturity, control, defiance, individuality, and a means of coping with stress.
• Experimentation with alcohol generally occurs earlier than with tobacco and adolescents who smoke are also likely to engage in other drug use.⁶
• Children are vulnerable to advertising. It has been shown that advertising is one of the key variables in convincing children to take up smoking.^4,5,7
• Research has shown that children who buy imitation candy cigarettes are almost four times more likely to try real cigarettes.⁸
• Easy access to cigarettes is a predictor of uptake of smoking.^3,4
• Among smokers 15-17years old, 31% report being given cigarettes by a friend or family member.⁷
• Since 1994, there has been an increase from 19% to 39% of teen smokers reporting that their usual sources for cigarettes are friends, relatives or parents.⁷
• Over the same time, there has been a decline from 57% to 45% among teen smokers who buy cigarettes at corner stores.⁷

References

1. Health Canada. 3. Trends in Smoking. CTUMS (Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey), Wave 1, February-June 1999.
2. Lynch BS, Bonnie RJ Eds. Growing Up Tobacco Free. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1994:54-55.
3. Bauman KE, Foshee VA, Linzer MA, Koch GG. Effect Of Parental Smoking Classification On The Association Between Parental And Adolescent Smoking. Addictive Behaviours. 1990;15(5):413-22.
4. US Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1994.
5. Health Canada. Social Influence And Restrictions On Smoking. Youth Smoking Survey 1994: Technical Report. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services, Canada, 1996.
6. Torabi MR, Bailey WJ, and Massoumeh Majd-Jabbari. Cigarette Smoking As A Predictor Of Alcohol And Other Drug Use By Children And Adolescents: Evidence Of The Gateway Drug Effect. Journal of School Health. 1993;63(7):302-306.
7. Clark W. Youth Smoking In Canada. Canadian Social Trends-Winter 1996, Statistics Canada - Catalogue 11-008-XPE.
8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1994.
9. Klein JD, Forehand B, Oliveri J, Patterson CJ, Kupersmidt JB, Strecher V. Candy Cigarettes: Do They Encourage Children's Smoking? Pediatrics. 1992; 88: 27-31.