Teens Listen to Parents on Smoking, Study Says
From Times Wire Reports
Defying the stereotype of the defiant teenager, new research suggests teens are much less likely to smoke if they think their parents disapprove.
Parental disapproval works even if the parents are smokers, and it can also blunt the effect of peer pressure, the study found.
Dr. James Sargent, an associate professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Medical School, and researcher Madeline Dalton surveyed 372 rural Vermont youngsters. Of those who said their parents disapproved of kids’ smoking, 19% became established smokers. Of those who said their parents were lenient about smoking, almost 27% became smokers.
