Pradeep P. Gidwani et al.

About the author: Pradeep P. Gidwani is affiliated with the Center for Child Health Outcomes at the Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego, California. He is especially involved in efforts to assess how well states are addressing the needs of children with chronic health conditions.

Although government bans prevent tobacco advertising on television, the act of smoking is still often depicted in television shows and televised sporting events. This study finds that youths who watch a greater amount of television than their peers are more likely to begin smoking. Thus, researchers conclude, television viewing should be included as a risk factor in future studies of youth smoking, and efforts to reduce television viewing among youths may reduce the number of youths who begin smoking.

Smoking is the leading preventable...