Low Self-Control Related To Increased Risk Of Smoking Later In Life, Study Suggests

Most people develop behavior that stemmed out of their childhood, some of it beneficial, but there are also not-so-good ones. A recent study has found that children aging between 10 and 11 with low self-control were more likely to smoke as adults than their self-controlled children their age.

According to Science Daily, Behavioral Scientist Dr. Michael Daly and his team studied 21,000 people from the United Kingdom whom they followed for more than four decades. They have found that children between the ages 10 and 11 years old were more at risk to smoke in their adolescence and even had higher rates of smoking as adults even when they're over the age of 50.

"We first saw that children with low self-control were twice as likely to smoke as adults compared to their more self-controlled peers. We then examined alternative explanations like differences in parental smoking, intelligence, and social class. Even after taking these factors into account, we found that low self-control, measured early in life before smoking is initiated, predicts a substantially raised risk of smoking throughout adulthood," explained Dr. Daily.

Moreover, the study discovered that children who did not have enough self-control are more likely to go on smoking cigarettes experienced greater difficulty quitting the habit and even had a higher rate of going back to smoking again when they have managed to quit.

In a report by stir.ac.uk, it was revealed that the study composed of participants who were taken from two nationally representative cohort studies; the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS) and the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS). The participants reported their smoking status at different points, at five-time points (ages 26 to 42 years) in the BCS and six-time points (ages 23 to 55 years) in the NCDS.

Meanwhile, Medical Xpress wrote that self-control can be different among children. Those with low self-control in the study were identified by teacher-ratings which included poor attention, lack of persistence and were said to have an impulsive behavior. These observations resulted in researchers taking necessary steps to ensure that these children are supported and have a good chance of a better life.

Dr. Daly also said, "Many efforts focus exclusively on educating children about the dangers of smoking. However, our findings suggest that a complementary approach - one which increases general self-control - could have lifelong health benefits. Prior research from our team and others have indicated that raising a child with high self-control is likely to improve school grades, employment prospects, quality of relationships and mental and physical health. We can now add not smoking to that already formidable list - along with the diverse health and other benefits that non-smokers enjoy."