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Early dating predicts smoking during adolescence: a prospective study
Jennifer Fidler, Research Psychologist, Health Behaviour Unit, University College London

Abstract
The role that romantic relationships play in adolescent smoking uptake has received little attention compared to other social factors. Data from a longitudinal study of adolescent smoking behaviour was used to assess the association between smoking and dating over a period of 5 years. A total of 5863 students from 36 schools in South London completed questionnaires including measures of current smoking behaviour and dating (having a current boyfriend/girlfriend) on an annual basis from age 11-12 to age 15-16. Cotinine assays provided biochemical verification of smoking status. At age 11-12, 24.3% (911) of students reported having a boyfriend or girlfriend. These students were between 3 and 9 times more likely to report later smoking uptake at each study year than those without a boyfriend or girlfriend at age 11-12. The association between early dating and later smoking remained significant after controlling for potential confounding factors including past smoking, gender, ethnicity, deprivation, pubertal stage, friends and family smoking, psychological well-being, popularity and conduct. Conversely there was little evidence that having smoked by age 11-12 predicted later dating. The use of smoking to maintain a popular image, and the link between both behaviours and aspirations towards maturity, are potential explanations for the effect. This finding contributes to the construction of a comprehensive profile of adolescents at risk for smoking and identifies early daters as a key target for smoking interventions highlighting the social undesirability of smoking.

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Biography
Jenny Fidler graduated from the University of Warwick in 2001 with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and obtained an MSc in Health Psychology from UCL in 2002. Jenny joined the Health Behaviour Unit at UCL as a Research Psychologist in 2002 and is currently working on the HABITS (Health and Behaviour in Teenagers) study, a five year longitudinal project which has followed over 5000 participants from 11 to 16. Her work focuses on the smoking aspects of this study and her PhD, supervised by Robert West and Jane Wardle, is entitled ‘The patterns, predictors and correlates of adolescent smoking’.

Jennifer Fidler
Health Behaviour Unit, Brook House
2-16 Torrington Place
London
WC1E 6BT

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