Working Teens Smoke More

Posted by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen Oct 6, 2007

No wonder I started smoking as a teenager: I started working when I was 13 and still haven't quit. Luckily I did kick the cigarette habit (now, if I could only figure out how to quit the work habit.....).

Researchers have learned that teens who work more than 10 hours a week have a higher incidence of smoking than their non-working peers. One theory is that teens like to feel grown up; working, sex, drugs, and cigarettes all make them feel older than they really are. More research is needed to explore if it's the working conditions, personality, or family that connect working with teenage smoking.

Other research shows that teenage girls on a diet are more likely to start smoking, and teens who see smoking in movies are also more likely to start. Some researchers recommend the nicotine patch for teenage smokers trying to quit, while others suggest education as the best strategy. What works depends on the teen: financial motivations, health problems, appearance-related factors can all affect different people in different ways.