Abstract

Smokers have multiple adverse health-related behaviours and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We examined whether health behaviours in parents who smoke may influence children's health behaviours. This study analyses the life-style habits of 1015 school children (girls:475 boys: 540; 11-12 years) participating in a screening for cardiovascular risk factors that took place in the suburban area of Pisa. During the baseline children's examination, parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire that included parent's smoking habits and children's demographic data including actual involvement in physical activity. Parent's smoking was additive predictor in children of lower physical activity (p <0.01); furthermore children's body mass index (p<0.001) and blood pressure values (p<0.001) were significantly greater if parents smoked. In conclusions these data seem to suggest that health behaviours associated with smoking in parents should be likely to influence children's long-term risk of having lifestyle diseases. The results may also explain some of the apparent effects attributed to passive smoking in families.

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