Time spent with smoking parents and smoking topography in adolescents

Although the relationship between parental and adolescent smoking has been linked to health consequences of smoking, limited study has explored the specific association between exposure to smoking and adolescent smoking topography (the way a cigarette is smoked). As a first step in this line of enquiry, smoking topography measures were collected from 67 adolescent dependent smokers. Participants smoked one cigarette of their own brand while being monitored by a computer-based smoking-topography unit and completed questionnaires about their time spent daily with parents who smoke. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that time spent daily with parents who smoke was significantly associated with maximum puff velocity (r = 0.285, p = .019), a parameter predicting later pulmonary morbidity. ANOVAs, after a median split, were consistent with correlation analyses. There was a significant group effect on puff velocity (F(2,66) = 5.197, p = .008); no significant relationship was found with puff volume (F(2,66) = .617) or puff duration (F(2,66) = .776). A post hoc Tukey HSD test indicated puff velocity was higher in the “high time spent” (M = 54.37, SD = 12.03) than in the “low time spent” group (M = 45.59, SD = 9.91) and in the group with non-smoking parents (M = 44.96, SD = 10.17). Future research with a larger non-treatment seeking sample of adolescents aimed at preventing tobacco smoking related diseases should further examine parental influences on adolescent smoking, including potential modeling effects.