The Los Angeles Times (9/7, MacVean) reports in its “Booster Shots” blog on a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, which found that “popular kids are more likely to smoke cigarettes.” The piece notes, “The researchers found that students’ perceptions of their peers’ behavior mattered as much as whether or not they actually smoked.”
HealthDay (9/7, Gray) quotes study author Thomas Valente, a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, who said, “Popularity is a strong predictor of smoking. We haven’t done enough to make it cool not to smoke.”
Related Links:
— “Popular kids more likely to smoke, research says, “Mary MacVean, Los Angeles Times, September 06, 2012.