Tobacco Ads Raise Teen Smoking Risk

A recent study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that adolescents exposed to tobacco advertising are more likely to start smoking. The researchers have found that teens are at 38 percent more likely to smoke with every 10 additional tobacco ads seen.

The researchers at the Institute for Therapy and Health Research in Kiel (Germany) surveyed 1,320 German schoolchildren, in the age-group 10 to 15. They were shown images of cigarette and non-tobacco ads. Also, they asked kids on how many times they had previously seen each advertisement at follow-up assessments over a period of 2.5 years.

During the follow-up, 436 students admitted to trying cigarettes for the first time. Out of all, 138 of them smoked as recently as 30 days prior to the follow-up survey, 66 had smoked more than 100 cigarettes, and 58 smoked daily.

The researchers suggested a total ban on tobacco advertising, as proposed by the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

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