In conformity with a survey carried out by Canadian scientists, there is a set of causes which impact on whether children would take up smoking or not, including gender, family, education, friends, etc.

A group of scientists from a research institute located in Toronto suggest that place of living can be partially responsible for adolescent smoking and taking into account the neighborhood where a family lives scientists are able to specify if children would pick up smoking in the future.

Felicia Petit, the leading researcher, admitted that the principal reason that triggered the research was a necessity to find out how social, racial or economic can affect on minors’ decisions.

The researchers investigated approximately 30 studies dealing with smoking processes and carried out by different organizations during the last decade and singled out several factors that are characteristic to adolescent smoking.

Overall, the adult smoking rate in Canada fell by several percent, in major part because of vigorous smoking restrictions and high cigarette prices. However, nearly each third Canadian adolescent or younger adult aged 17-25 years smokes, with a great part of which got addicted on smoking when they were children.

Economic factor has a considerable influence on teenage smoking, exactly as it happens with adult smokers. Another factor of major importance is social since kids from low-income families are more likely to become regular smokers. The third important factor which impacts on the likeability of starting smoking is the education of parents. According to the researchers’ findings, in more educated families, kids rarely pick up smoking. Kid’s attitude to education and future has a significant effect on the decision to start smoking, and that correlation is frequently dictated by parents.

Scientists also think that peer pressure also has a huge influence on child’s decision regarding smoking. That pressure ranges in accordance with gender, as boys tend to be less responsive to peer’ influence.

In conformity with a research by US scientists, smoking rates are unexpectedly higher among White Americans than their African-American peers. Scientists explain this difference by the fact that certain African American communities have more strict rules concerning cigarettes and alcohol consumption.

Speaking about their findings, Dr. Petit said that ethnic factor also applies to Canada, where, teenage smoking rates are lower among English-speaking community than the French-speaking one.

The study also demonstrated that in neighborhoods with higher rates of criminal activity and common insecurity, the likeability of teenage smoking is two times higher than in safe communities.

And finally, scientists found out that religion also impacts on the probability of teenage smoking, since kids who attend or participate in religious services are not likely to take up smoking.

Dr. Petit said that research raises more questions than gives responses, however it underlines the necessity to create a complex system to educate children about the health risks linked with smoking.