By Lee Kyung-min
Children who have parents that smoke are four times more likely to take up the habit than those who have parents that don’t, a study showed, Monday.
Meanwhile, teenagers who have friends that smoke are 16.9 times more likely to take it up, it added.
According to an online survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) on 75,000 children between the ages of 14 and 19, the smoking rate of children that have parents who both smoke stood at 17.8 percent, nearly four times that of those with non-smoking parents, 4.3 percent.
Having siblings who smoke also affected their choice, with the rate at 15.8 percent.
Mothers that smoke cigarettes have more influence on whether their children begin smoking than fathers do, the study showed.
The smoking rate was 13.5 percent for children whose close friends were smokers, 16.9 times higher than that of children without such friends, 0.8 percent.
A KCDC official said the study results should be reflected in schools’ measures to curb teen smoking.
“Teenagers are easily affected by people around them. They are prone to pick up habits they see and repeat it themselves,” the official said.