More than two of five people who smoke a cigarette for the first time turn out to become daily smokers, even if temporarily, says a new study.
The study is based on a review of 216,314 adults from of eight health surveys — three from the UK, three from the US and Canada, and one each from Australia and New Zealand.
All the surveys included questions about ever trying a cigarette and any subsequent daily smoking habit.
The research team, led by Queen Mary University of London, said 60.3 percent of people across the surveys had tried smoking a cigarette at least once.
The findings showed that 68.9 percent of the participants said they had gone on to smoke every day.
“The transition from trying the first cigarette through occasional to daily smoking usually implies that a recreational activity is turning into a compulsive need that has to be satisfied virtually continuously,” the researchers said
“The finding supports strongly the current efforts to reduce cigarette experimentation among adolescents.”
The study was published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
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