Parents' lifestyle can affect kids' health even during adulthood

Are you in the habit of smoking and drinking in front of your kids? Beware of it, as your kids may be passed on the same habits when they grow older. Children get strongly affected by such lifestyles and habits which is conducted by their parents in front them, especially at a young age, reveals a new finding. The study showed an example whereby if a parent smoked when their child was young, the child was much more likely to smoke as an adult.

The study, published in a non- profit media outlet the Conversation, stated that the children are affected through two different mechanisms by their parents -- first, poor living conditions in childhood lead to poverty in adulthood and second, health is transmitted from parents to children. It also increases the risk of diseases and various health related negative outcomes, especially obesity resulting from alcohol abuse, in their later life.

Researchers from the University of Leeds in England, studied over 21,000 participants, aged 50 and above. The team compared the participants' current smoking habits, obesity and lack of exercise with their parents' job, longevity, smoking status and alcohol problems, during the participants' childhood. The results showed that beyond the obvious common genetic inheritance across generations, parents' health also has an impact on their children's health by imparting habits and lifestyles.

It was found that if a person's father smoked when they were 12, they were almost twice as likely to smoke than people whose father did not smoke at all. If mothers smoked, it increased the risk of their daughters smoking - but not their sons. The risk that a person would smoke was also higher among those whose father was a manual worker, and who had experienced periods of poverty during their childhood.

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