Could This Activity Help Keep Your Tween From Smoking?

By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Larry Forthun, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida

Recently, I talked to my older child (age 10) about the dangers of smoking. She finds cigarettes completely gross and disgusting—or at least, that’s what she says. I really hope she continues to feel this way as she gets older, but I’m well aware that as she ages, her peers may have a greater influence on her decisions.

Study Looked at Activities and Smoking Chances

Almost every parent wants to know how to protect his or her children from becoming smokers. Talking with your kids is key, but moms and dads may also be interested in the results of a new study in the journal Academic Pediatrics. Researchers spoke on the phone to a random sample of over 6500 “tweens” (between the ages of 10 and 14), asking them about their participation in various extracurricular activities, such as sports, after-school clubs, and religious activities. Then they asked the tweens whether they’d ever tried cigarettes, and looked to see if any of these activities might be linked to a reduced risk of smoking. (It’s important to note that the study took into account factors like family income, parental smoking, the children’s media use, and how well they did in school).

Coached Team Sports = Lower Risk

After separating out all the different kinds of clubs and activities, the researchers found that the only kind of participation associated with a lower risk of trying cigarettes was playing a team sport that was coached. This is an important distinction, since tweens were also asked about individual and uncoached sports, like pickup basketball, athletics with their family, or solo pursuits.

Why would this be? The authors point out that some teams require their members to sign pledges promising that they won’t smoke or use other substances–and agreeing that they’ll be thrown off the team if they’re caught. Also, some athletes may rightly suspect that smoking will impair their performance on the field. Sports also take up a lot of time, keeping youth away from unsupervised free time with peers when smoking might occur. Finally, the positive role model provided by a coach might make all the difference.

Other Benefits, Too

While team sports are hardly a guarantee that your child won’t smoke, it’s good to know that there may be a connection between this popular activity and a lower risk of taking up this deadly habit. About half of the tweens surveyed were taking part in coached sports, meaning quite a few young people were benefiting.

Of course, participation in sports comes with other positives, too, such as increased fitness and simple enjoyment. As the authors point out, though, when tweens turn into teens, sports become significantly more competitive, and those who can’t achieve may drop out. This points to a role for more inclusive, less competitive teams, allowing more tweens and teens to enjoy the health, fitness, and personal benefits of team sports.

(Photo credit: Only the last time by Morgan. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)

References:

Adachi-Mejia, A. M., Chambers, J. J. C., Li, Z., & Sargent, J. (2014). The relative roles of types of extracurricular activity on
smoking and drinking initiation among tweens. Academic Pediatrics, 14(3), 271-278.

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Posted: September 5, 2014


Category: Relationships & Family, Work & Life
Tags: Health And Wellness, Parenting


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