NEW YORK, Oct 06 (Reuters Health) -- New research suggests that children as young as age 9 consider taking up the smoking habit in order to control their weight.
In a study of more than 15,000 children ages 9 to 14, researchers at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, found that 17% of girls and 15% of boys had "experimented" with smoking or were thinking about starting, and many of these children were "overly concerned" about their weight. Investigators led by Dr. A. Lindsay Frazier reported their findings in the October issue of Pediatrics.
For instance, boys in the study who said they were considering smoking were 65% more likely than boys who expressed no desire to smoke to mistakenly believe they were overweight. Girls who thought about taking up the habit were twice as likely to be unhappy with their appearance as girls who were uninterested in smoking.
The researchers also found body-image differences between children who had already smoked and those only considering it. Among boys, those who had smoked were almost twice as likely to exercise for weight control; among girls, smokers were 2.5 times more likely to purge and nearly twice as likely to diet, compared with girls who were considering smoking.
The relationship between weight concerns and smoking remained even after the researchers accounted for other influences on children's decisions to take up the habit, such as having friends and family members who smoke. Other, similar studies, Frazier's team noted, have focused on regular cigarette use among children age 12 and older. "Although the average age of smoking initiation is 14.5 years," they wrote, "our data suggest that children younger than 12 years old are thinking about smoking and experimenting with cigarettes."
Given the evidence that the earlier children start smoking, the more likely the habit will persist, it is imperative to dispel the perception of smoking as a weight-control method, the researchers conclude.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of young smokers in the United States grew significantly between 1991 and 1997, from 27.5% of high school students to 36.4%.
