Originally published October 3 2005
Dartmouth Medical School study reveals link between children's behavior and their parents' drinking
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Observing 120 children ranging from three to six years old, researchers found that children, from an age earlier than was previously expected, demonstrated acceptance of alcohol and cigarettes if either were part of the child's home environment.
Parents, your children are watching: A new study finds that even 2-year-olds are more likely to "smoke" and "drink" during pretend play if their parents smoke and drink regularly.
Toddlers were also more like to mimic these dangerous adult activities if they were regularly exposed to PG-13 or R-rated movies, the researchers found.
It's not news that parental habits can influence their offspring's smoking and drinking habits, said lead researcher Madeline Dalton, director of the Hood Center for Children and Family Community Health Research Program at Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, N.H.
Parental smoking and alcohol use are potent predictors of kids' use," she said, noting that that's been long known for teens.
The child was told to pretend he or she was the host and had invited the other doll over to watch a movie and have something to eat.
When the researcher-friend said there was nothing to eat, the child was invited to shop at a doll grocery store as researchers recorded the purchases.
For experiments involving 2-year-olds, the child was simply given one doll and told to take her shopping.
In all, 28 percent of the children bought cigarettes while 61 percent bought alcohol on these "shopping trips."
They found that children were nearly four times as likely to buy cigarettes if their parents smoked, and three times as likely to choose wine or beer if their parents drank alcohol at least once a month.
Kids who were allowed to view PG-13 or R-rated movies were five times as likely to choose wine or beer while shopping than kids restricted to watching G-rated movies.
According to the researchers, images of drinking adults seen in adult-rated films may be influencing these pro-alcohol "buying" decisions in youngsters.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml