ADHD is a neurobehavioral disorder that is characterized by impulsivity, hyperactivity and distractibility, or difficulty in sustaining attention. It is estimated that ADHD affects three-to-five percent of school-age children.
Previous research has linked ADHD with smoking in the clinical setting, but this study is the first to investigate the association of ADHD symptoms with smoking practices in a community sample of high school students. "This information is important because screening for symptoms of inattention might be useful in targeting tobacco control efforts toward high-risk youth, which could help to arrest their smoking at an earlier stage," said senior author Janet Audrain, PhD, of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Penn's School of Medicine.
While research has yet to prove why ADHD is so strongly associated with smoking, the researchers note that one possible explanation might be that nicotine helps manage ADHD symptoms. According to study co-investigator and author Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD, assistant professor of Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, "stimulation derived from nicotine may help some smokers with ADHD compensate for their difficulties sustaining attention and concentration."
Audrain and her colleagues interviewed 1,066 tenth-grade students from five high schools. The students completed a survey that assessed ADHD symptoms, as well as current smoking practices and exposure to other smokers. These student
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Contact: Olivia Fermano
olivia.fermano@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5653
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
18-Jul-2002