Talking to your children about cigarette smoking

Around two-thirds of smokers start before they are 18 and around 200,000 11- 15 year olds start smoking each year in the UK.

That's despite it being illegal to sell cigarettes to under 18s.

However, the number of children trying smoking is dropping.

Girls are more likely to be regular smokers than boys.

Children who smoke regularly on average smoke 31 cigarettes a week.

Smoking and a child's health

Cancer Research UK has said it has found evidence that trying just one cigarette can make children more likely to start smoking several years later. Talking with your children about smoking has never been more important.

Children who smoke often become regular adult smokers. They also suffer immediate health consequences from smoking. Child smokers are more susceptible to coughs, increased phlegm, wheeziness and shortness of breath, and take more time off school.

Children start smoking for a variety of reasons. Some think it makes them look cool, appear older, fit in with other children, lose weight, or seem tough. Some do it just to feel independent.

You should start the dialogue about smoking at age six or seven, and continue it through their school career. Many children start smoking by the age of 11, and many are addicted by the age of 14. Try talking to your children about smoking before school, on the way to clubs or to see friends, or after tea.

Parents must make sure children understand the dangers of smoking. Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. Short-term effects include coughing and throat irritation. Over time, increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for example emphysema, can result.

The best ways to prevent your children from smoking are to:

• Encourage your children to get involved in activities that prohibit smoking, including sport
• Keep talking to your children about the dangers of smoking. If friends or relatives have died from smoking-related illnesses, let your children know
• Ask your children what they find appealing - or unappealing - about smoking
• Discuss ways to respond to peer pressure about smoking
• Know if your children’s friends smoke. Encourage your children to walk away from friends who don't recognise or respect their reasons for not smoking
• Make, and abide by, strong rules that exclude smoking from your house
• If you smoke, stop. It's important to set a good example
• If you do smoke, let your children know that you made a mistake by starting
• Never smoke in front of children, offer them cigarettes, or leave cigarettes where they can find them.

Certain signs may suggest that your child is smoking. They include:

• Smoke smell on clothing
• Coughing
• Throat irritation
• Hoarseness
• Bad breath
• Decreased athletic performance
• Greater susceptibility to colds
• Stained teeth and clothing
• Shortness of breath

If you notice any of these signs of smoking in your child, don't overreact. Ask your child about it first. Smelling smoke on their clothes, for example, may mean your child has been hanging around with friends who smoke. It could also mean your child has tried a cigarette. Remember that many children try a cigarette at one time or another, but don't necessarily go on to become regular smokers.