TEENAGERS WHOSE PARENTS SMOKE ‘FOUR TIMES AS LIKELY TO TAKE UP SMOKING’

Wed 29 December 2021:

The British government has launched a new campaign to encourage smokers to quit, claiming that teenagers who have smoking parents are four times more likely to do so themselves.

It’s called the ‘Better Health Smoke-Free’ campaign, and it’s encouraging smokers to quit as a new year’s resolution.

The campaign emphasizes the negative impact that adult smokers have on children.

According to the campaign’s data, 4.9 percent of teenagers whose parents smoke have also taken up the habit.

Only 1.2 percent of teenagers with non-smoking caregivers started smoking on their own.

The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom has produced an educational film on the subject.

Professor Nick Hopkinson and Dr Anthony Laverty, both of Imperial College London, appear in the film as child psychologists and smoking cessation experts, urging parents to stop smoking.

Health minister Maggie Throup said she hoped the research would give parents extra motivation to quit smoking.

She said: “We know that many people make a quit attempt in January, and while there are so many good reasons to stop smoking for yourself, we hope that this new campaign – by highlighting the inter-generational smoking link with parents influencing their children – will be the added motivation many need to ditch the cigarettes for good this year.

“With so much help and support available for parents, carers and anyone looking to quit – including the NHS Quit Smoking app, support on Facebook, daily emails and texts, and an online Personal Quit Plan – you won’t be alone in your new year’s resolution.”

Retailers and tobacco companies expressed concern about the impact on their businesses and warned of the emergence of a black market, while health officials praised the initiative.

New Zealand, like the UK, has set a goal to be smoke-free by 2030, while Canada and Sweden have set goals to reduce smoking prevalence to less than 5% of their populations.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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