Top 10 Reasons People Start Smoking

1. Family attitudes that condone smoking Young people who start smoking in their teen years frequently have siblings, parents, grandparents or broader family members who smoke. The risk that a person start smoking is often higher if one or both parents smoke. 2. Peer pressure Peer smoking is a stronger predictor of smoking onset for high school students. And the number of cigarette offers made to students can affect whether or not they become smokers, or not. Also, young people who play sports are less likely to smoke. 3. Copycatting what is cool in popular culture Although peer and family influences have been shown to be powerful predictors of adolescent smoking, social influences also exist in the larger cultural sphere. Movies, advertisements, and other forms of media shape teen views of what is cool, attractive, and grown up. Therefore, some people start smoking to emulate their heroes or to embody what is chic. 4. Sociodemographic factors The environment in which a person grows up in has an indirect but powerful influence on whether or not s/he will smoke. Young people living in or at the poverty line, with one parent who has little education are most at risk of becoming smokers. 5. Personality traits Internal determinants of smokers include certain inborn or nutured personality traits such as unconventionality, risk taking, thrill seeking or rebelliousness. 6. Making up for poor social or personal skills Young people who are less socially competent, who are not trained in refusal self-efficacy, who participate in antisocial activities, who have low self-esteem or who are disengaged from school may be more attracted to smoking than those who are socially engaged and confident. 7. Smoking for weight loss Some people start smoking because they worry about their weight and figure and smoke to try to be thinner. 8. Availability Although it is illegal to sell tobacco products to minors and in some States smoking by minors is also illegal, cigarettes are highly available to young people. In fact, the more smokers there are who smoke around children, the more children have an opportunity to handle cigarettes and smoking accessories from an early age: they get, buy, or even light cigarettes. So, some people start smoking simply because cigarettes are around. 9. Already using other drugs Teens who already smoke marijuana, drink alcohol, or use illicit drugs are more likely to smoke cigarettes than those who do not, perhaps due to a decreased perception of harm. 10. Stress relief - Some people initiate tobacco use because they believe that it helps them cope with personal problems or boredom. Reference sources: Tobacco Use Among Youth Why children start smoking cigarettes: Predictors of onset Can parents influence smoking? Where do our children learn to smoke?

Knowledge of smokers in effects of smoking: