What Contributes To Smoking?

Many preteens and teens consider taking up smoking as a way to stay thin or lose weight, according to a recent Harvard study.  Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health surveyed 16,862 children ages 9-14 and asked about smoking status, weight concerns, weight-control behaviors (including dieting, exercising, using laxatives and vomiting) and physical activity.

Approximately 9% of participants had experimented with cigarettes, and another 6% were contemplating smoking.  Those thinking about starting to smoke has misperceptions about being overweight and were unhappy with their appearance, the researchers said.

With boys, experimentation with cigarettes was associated with daily exercise to control weight.  Girls were more likely to see smoking, combined with monthly purging and daily dieting, as a path to weight loss.

If thinking about health issues doesn't seem to be working with your child, try hitting him in the wallet with these stats.  According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking a pack of cigarettes per day for one year can cost roughly the equivalent of:

* Buying 65 compact discs
* Playing 4000 video-arcade games
* Buying 33 pairs of jeans
* Taking a friend to the movies every week for more than a year.

This article originally appeared in the May 2003 issue of Carolina Parent.