Results: Smoking of a current close friend was
strongly associated with participants’ own smoking
(OR 5.6, 95% CI 3.6 to 8.8). The smoking of a close
friend during schooldays was similarly associated (OR
2.9, 95% CI 1.8 to 4.5). Smoking among men was
associated with the smoking behaviour of mothers and
siblings while that among females was not.
Conclusions: The impact of a smoker as a close
friend is greater than that of a smoking parent or
sibling in school age when it comes to smoking
behaviour in adulthood. This should be taken into
consideration when attempting to prevent smoking
initiation or continuation.