New Research Reveals Popular Kids Smoke More We do not know
anyone that believes it would be cool to eventually grow up to
have heart disease, lung cancer or emphysema. Yet, a new study
suggests that popular students are smoking more cigarettes than
those less popular, putting the the “cool kids” at a higher risk
for developing health problems. The study was a collaborative
effort by the University of California and the University of
Texas, which surveyed nearly 2,000 9th and 10th grade students
about their smoking habits, their personal views on smoking, how
they feel their peers view smoking, as well as asked the names
of their five best friends. Popularity of a student was
determined by the frequency in which study participants
mentioned a particular student as one of their friends. What
researchers found was not only did popular students start
smoking earlier than unpopular students, but those kids that
started smoking in the 9th and 10th grades were more likely to
choose other kids that smoked to call fr