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Preventing Smoking

  • Mental Health
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Preventing Smoking

Unhappy childhoods are linked to smoking. By Dr. Brian P. McDonough. This audio file plays for 0 minutes and 32 seconds.

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If you want to help cut down smoking in adults, try to provide them with a safe and happy childhood. That's according to a report from the CDC. New information released in the Journal of the American Medical Association says children who have experienced emotional, physical and sexual abuse are more likely to smoke cigarettes. In fact, they are 5.4 times more likely to smoke by the age of 14. The researchers say that teens often use nicotine as a way to ease psychological and emotional wounds, and the behavior continues to adulthood.

I am Dr. Brian McDonough.

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