| More than 80% of all adult smokers first become regular
smokers before the age of 18.
Most people could be prevented from becoming addicted
to nicotine if they could be kept tobacco-free during adolescence.
Parents and guardians can take a number of effective
actions to protect their kids from starting to smoke. What parents say,
how they act and the values they communicate through their words and actions
have an enormous influence on children, and that also applies to tobacco
use.
Studies have found that parental actions, attitudes and
opinions about smoking have a great deal of influence on whether or not
kids smoke.
Don't quite know how to approach the subject with your
kids? Take a look at our tobacco-free
kids tips for some ideas.
Is your child already smoking? We've got these ideas
to help you help
them quit.
|
| Sources:
National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, 2004, Michigan Department of Community
Health, Talk It Out, 2002, Schwebel, R., How to Help Your Kids Choose To
Be Tobacco-Free, 1999, Distefan, J.M., Gilpin, E.A. Choi, W. S. & Pierce,
J.P., 1998 |
| | Parents and Kids: Tobacco-free Tips Parents and guardians can take the following actions to help their children stay or become tobacco-free: | | Helping Kids Quit If children are already using tobacco, parents or guardians can still make a difference. These links provide useful guidance. |
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