Smoking during childhood and teenage years can lead to early heart damage by the time individuals are in their mid-twenties. While studies have shown that physical activity can help reduce smoking rates in adults, the same hasn’t been proven for kids and teenagers. This is mainly due to short study durations, small study groups, and not having precise measurements of physical activity levels.
A new study by the Universities of Bristol and Exeter in the UK and the University of Eastern Finland shows that teenagers are less likely to start smoking if they engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from childhood.
This is the largest and longest follow-up study, tracking 2,503 children from the University of Bristol’s Children of the 90s cohort from ages 11 to 24. The study found that the prevalence of smoking was 1.5% at age 13, 13.5% at age 15, and 26.6% at age 24.
At the start, children spent six hours a day sedentary, six hours in light physical activity, and about 55 minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). By young adulthood, they spent nine hours a day sedentary, three hours in light physical activity, and about 50 minutes in MVPA.
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The study also measured various health indicators, such as cholesterol, glucose, insulin, blood pressure, heart rate, socio-economic status, family history of cardiovascular disease, and body composition.
The study found that 6 out of 1000 children who engaged in MVPA at age 11 started smoking by age 13, compared to 15 out of 1000 in the whole age group. This suggests that childhood MVPA could prevent 60% of potential smokers by age 13.
In later years, the preventive effect was smaller. Continuous MVPA from childhood to young adulthood could prevent smoking in 8 out of 1000 young adults, compared to 266 out of 1000 in the general young adult population.
Teenagers who didn’t smoke at ages 13 and 15 spent an extra 15 minutes per day in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by age 24 compared to those who smoked during those ages.
Being sedentary in childhood wasn’t linked to an increased risk of starting or continuing to smoke.
Dr. Andrew Agbaje, an expert in Clinical Epidemiology and Child Health at the University of Eastern Finland, said, “While physical activity can prevent smoking, the effect decreases by young adulthood. It’s vital that laws protect young people from starting to use tobacco and nicotine.”
“Quitting smoking in adulthood is good but not enough, as the risk of heart disease remains for the next thirty years. Preventing smoking initiation in childhood is crucial for lifelong health. These findings can also apply to vaping and e-cigarette use, as both contain nicotine,” Agbaje added.
Journal Reference:
- Andrew O. Agbaje. Accelerometer-based sedentary time and physical activity with incident and progressive tobacco smoking in 2503 children: A 13-year mediation and temporal longitudinal study. Behavior Research and Therapy. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104674
