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Research Links Teen Smoking to Friends' Smoking Behavior
Influence of Parents Can Outweigh Peer Pressure to Smoke
RICHMOND, VA (October 13, 2004) - As children head back to school, parents are right to be concerned about the impact of peer pressure on their kid's decision to engage in risky behavior, like smoking. According to a 2001 study conducted by the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, if a child's friends smoke cigarettes, they are nine times more likely to try smoking than if their friends are non-smokers.
Philip Morris USA's Teenage Attitudes and Behavior Study (TABS), an ongoing study conducted by an independent research firm on behalf of the Company, found in 2003 that of the 11-17 year olds who smoked cigarettes over the previous 30 days:
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72% were with friends when they tried their first cigarette
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65% got their first cigarette from a friend's pack
"Peer pressure is one reason why adolescents are at a much greater risk than adults for starting to smoke. This is why it's so critical for parents to take an active and repeated stand against smoking," said Lawrence Kutner, PhD, a nationally known child development expert and an advisor to Philip Morris USA Youth Smoking Prevention's parent communications initiative. "Peer pressure is powerful, but in the long run you will have much more influence on the choices your child makes," Dr. Kutner continued.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), cigarette smoking by high school students is at the lowest level in a generation. "We are very pleased that youth smoking rates have declined" said Howard A. Willard, senior vice-president of youth smoking prevention and corporate responsibility for Philip Morris USA. The CDC reports that nearly 22 percent of high school students currently smoke cigarettes, down from about 36 percent in 1997.
The Parent Resource Center at philipmorrisusa.com provides downloadable brochures from the "Raising Kids Who Don't Smoke" parent brochure series, and tips and activities for parents from child development experts on how to talk to kids about not smoking and resisting peer pressure. Tips include:
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Setting boundaries with clear expectations and rules, like not smoking and drinking.
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Getting to know your child's friends. By make your child's friends feel comfortable, they'll spend more time at home and less time in unsupervised places.
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Helping a child manage stress which is a big factor in peer pressure and youth smoking.
