Pre-schoolers mimic parents' smoking - Newindpress.com

Pre-schoolers mimic parents' smoking - Newindpress.com:

"Beware smokers. If your pre-school kid is watching you smoking, he may mimic the habit, says a study"

While it is really not much of a surprise, it is sad and scary that some continue to smoke around children.

"The researchers used dolls in a role-playing game from two to six years of age. The children were told to take the doll shopping, as there was no food in the dollhouse.

When the doll entered the doll grocery store, the researchers noted which products were "purchased".

The children purchased an average of 17 of the 73 products in the store. Of the 120 children participating in the study, 34 (28.3 percent) bought cigarettes and 74 (61.7 percent) bought alcohol.

Children were 3.9 times as likely to buy cigarettes if their parents smoked. Children were three times as likely to choose wine or beer if their parents drank alcohol at least once a month; children who viewed PG-13 or R-rated movies were five times as likely to choose wine or beer."