Playing Sports May Help Keep Kids From Smoking
Middle-school kids who participate in lots of sports are less likely to start smoking than other kids, new research finds.
Yet, students with teammates who smoke are more likely to smoke, too. This apparent influence of peers is more pronounced among girls.
“This result suggests that peers on athletic teams influence the smoking behavior of others even though there might be a protective effect overall of increased participation in athletics on smoking,” study leader Kayo Fujimoto, who conducted the research while at the University of Southern California, said in a journal news release. http://bit.ly/wmuumI [HealthDay]