Risk Factors For Smoking

Risk factors for smoking include all of the following except
A) Exposure to secondhand smoke
B) Presence of a smoker in the family
C) Poor academic performance
D) Single parent at home
E) Lack of concern over weight and body image, particularly in women

Answer and Discussion

The answer is E.

Risk factors for smoking include:

• exposure to secondhand smoke, 
• presence of a smoker in the household, 
• comorbid psychiatric disorders, 
• strained relationship with parent and/or single parent at home, 
• low level of expressed self-esteem and self-worth, 
• poor academic performance,
• increased adolescent perception of parental approval of smoking, 
• affiliation with smoking peers, and 
• a vailability of cigarettes. 
• An additional risk factor for boys is high levels of aggression and rebelliousness; among girls, preoccupation with weight and body image is a separate risk factor