Smoking initiation in Germany: the role of intergenerational transmission

Abstract

This paper analyzes the decision to start smoking using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP). Our focus is on the role that parental smoking behavior plays for children's smoking initiation. The data used are a combination of retrospective information on the age individuals started smoking and, by tracing back these individuals within the panel structure up to that point, information on characteristics at the age of smoking initiation. In contrast to the previous literature it is possible to control for the environment at the time of smoking onset that might have influenced the decision to start. Our preferred specification of a discrete time hazard model indicates that parental smoking significantly increases the offspring's hazard to start smoking. While this effect is most prominent for currently smoking parents, it is also found for parents who have given up smoking already. However, an ambiguous effect of the timing of parental smoking cessation is found, arguing against role-model effects being a key determinant for smoking initiation.

Conditional health-related benefits of higher education: An assessment of compensatory versus accumulative mechanisms

“…People from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience early health issues, and it may be that the long-term health-related consequences are not offset by a college degree. Furthermore, there is evidence that parents who adopt less healthy behaviors may pass on similar behaviors via social learning processes to their children (Göhlmann, Schmidt, & Tauchmann, 2010; Kral & Rauh, 2010; Richards, Poulton, Reeder, & Williams, 2009). To the extent adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be exposed to and adopt less healthy behaviors from their parents and that less healthy behaviors learned in adolescence tend to persist into adulthood, it is possible that higher education may be less likely to lead to healthier behaviors and lifestyles for people coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.…”

Low Social Support and Further Risk Factors for Nicotine Abuse in Childhood and Adolescence in Germany

“…Residual confounding might occur due to not obtaining social factors, such as social class, single-parent status, smoking behavior of parents, siblings and peer groups, or second-hand smoking (Bailey et al, 2006;Bidstrup et al, 2009;Biglan et al, 1995;Fergusson, Lynskey, & Horwood, 1995;Go et al, 2010;Keyes et al, 2008;Mercken et al, 2010;Milton et al, 2008;O'Loughlin et al, 2009;Otten et al, 2007), Additional internal factors like poor academic performance, school absenteeism, violent or criminal behavior, illicit drug use, risky sexual behavior, or susceptibility to tobacco advertising might be other potential factors (Conwell et al, 2003;Gohlmann et al, 2010;Mason & Windle, 2001;O'Loughlin et al, 2009). Unfortunately, these variables were not obtained as potential confounders in this study.…”

“…Germany faces a high smoking prevalence of adolescents, which makes the research of risk factors for smoking at an early age very important. As adolescent smoking also often co-exists with other problem behaviors, such as poor academic performance, school absenteeism, violent and criminal behavior, illicit drug use, and risky sexual behavior (Conwell et al, 2003;Gohlmann, Schmidt, & Tauchmann, 2010;Mason & Windle, 2001), diminishing risk factors that initiate smoking behavior might also help to override other risky behavior.…”

Is smoking behavior culturally determined? Evidence from British immigrants

“…Loureiro et al (2010) find correlations consistent with sex-specific transmission using a UK sample. Göhlmann et al(2010) find no sex differences using German data. Using the same data but a different identification strategy Lillard (2011) finds that parental smoking behavior does not influence whether children start smoking.…”