Fathers can have an important role in reducing teen smoking

Results of a study at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine, indicated that one of the strongest protective factors for reducing the risk of experimenting with smoking in early adolescence was how often fathers talked with their children, both boys and girls, about ‘things that mattered.

The study also suggests that a greater awareness of parents’ and especially fathers’ potential impact upon their teenagers’ choices about whether to smoke is needed. Fathers should be encouraged and supported to improve the quality and frequency of communication with their children during adolescence.

However, the impact of teenager parenting is relatively un-researched and further research is very much needed.