William Penn Life, 2003 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-02-01 / 2. szám
HealthPage Involved parents help kids overcome peer influence on smoking Survey also finds kids with good judgment tend not to smoke HAVING INVOLVED PARENTS can help children overcome peer influence to start smoking, according to a study by a researcher at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Involved parents are those who know a lot about their children's friends, activities and progress in school. The study also confirmed earlier findings that the more widespread children think smoking is, the more likely they are to start. Moreover, children who are socially competentthat is, who have the ability to exercise self-control and good judgment—and have parents who monitor their behavior tend not to start smoking. The study surveyed students in four middle schools in a suburban Maryland school district. These findings appear in the December 2002 issue of Prevention Science. While researchers have known that both peers and parents play an important role in whether young teens and preteens start smoking, they've known less about whether the effects of peer influence on starting smoking is affected by other factors, such as parents' involvement, children's adjustment to school, and a child's degree of social competence. "Many children start to experiment with smoking in early adolescence," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. "Many then go on to develop a life-long addiction that can cause them serious health problems later in life. This study shows that by staying involved in their children's lives, parents can help them to avoid the smoking habit." In the study, 1,081 students in four middle schools in Maryland were surveyed at the beginning and again at the end of sixth grade. The students completed a questionnaire that measured a variety of factors, including their friends' behavior and expectations; their own ability to resist dares, resolve conflicts, and retain self-control; and how well they follow rules, complete school work on time, and get along with classmates and teachers. The questionnaire also asked children about their parents' involvement in their lives, their parents' expectations for them, and whether their parents check to see if the children have done what they've been asked to do. The researchers found that teens with friends engaging in problem behavior—those who smoked, drank, cheated on tests, lied to parents, bullied others or damaged property— were more likely to smoke if their parents were relatively less involved than if their parents were relatively more involved. This finding pertained to all of the children studied. Parents' expectations about smoking and whether an adult at home smokes did not significantly influence children's decision to start smoking. "Parents' involvement may be particularly important during early adolescence," said Dr. Bruce Simons- Morton, who conducted the study. "It is a time when many young people first begin asserting their independence from their parents, but before peer influences reach their full strength. It's also a time when young people are still sensitive to their parents' values and concerns, and may be reluctant to try smoking, because they know their parents would disapprove." The study also confirmed two earlier findings. The researchers found that students who provided higher estimates of how many other youth smoke were more likely to smoke than those who provided lower estimates. This finding was true both for children who had relatively more or relatively fewer friends who smoked. In addition, the researchers found that sixth graders who had the ability to exercise self-control and good judgment, and had parents who monitored their behavior were less likely to start smoking. Dr. Simons-Morton noted that the study was not a nationally representative survey, but was limited to four middle schools in one suburban location. Also, some groups of children may not have been fully represented in the study, because their parents did not give permission for them to participate, or because they were absent from class on survey days. [jw] Health Links For more information on how to help your children from smoking and getting involved in drugs, log onto the website of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at: w www.nichd.nih.gov IVilliam I’en» Life. February 2003 5
