NO-HEADLINE

Advertising encourages children to smoke, according to new research. A study of 1,450 schoolchildren aged 11 to 13 showed that awareness of advertised cigarette brands was linked to an increased risk of taking up smoking, especially amongst girls.

In the Manchester University survey, children were asked questions aimed at finding out whether awareness of the most advertised brands was more likely than awareness of less advertised brands to precede the onset of smoking.