We've all heard this conversation. Peer pressure makes people smoke. However, many prideful youths will tell you that they smoke because they want to; not because someone pressured them into it.
Now the adult community thinks they know better. We typically look at the kids and say that peer pressure is still a big player as a causitive factor in initiating smoking. Why do we say this? We say this because we remember when we were kids. We remember how the cool kids exerted their influence on the rest of us nerds. They smoked and we wanted to be like them.
As I've posted before, the smoking community is a very inviting community. They will accept you, but usually only if you light one up with them. A recent study out of Pakistan looked at causitive factors influencing smoking initiation. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association [2011 Feb;61(2):198-201] published "Causes of smoking in Pakistan: an analysis of social factors.", by Nizami, et al.
They found that peer pressure ranked second on the contributing factor list, behind only occupational stress relief. The younger smokers gave higher rankings to peer pressure, which is what you'd expect to see. Similarly, most participants in the study began smoking at a young age.
The researchers conclude that the root of the participants smoking habit, starts with peer pressure, despite stress being a factor in middle aged smokers.
This should be a wake up call to all parents. Instruct your child and give them all the information they need to make smart health choices at a young age. This will enable them to withstand the effects of peer pressure which they are sure to face.
