Parents: Quit Smoking and Your Children Are Less Likely to Smoke

LONDON, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --

- Odds of youth smoking uptake greatly reduced if parents quit

If both parents of a child never smoked, research shows that a child's odds of daily smoking are reduced by more than 70 percent(1) compared to when both parents continue to smoke. And if both parents were smokers but quit, those same odds are reduced by nearly 40 percent.(1) Additional research shows that mothers who quit are less likely to have children who start smoking.(2)

As global leaders in tobacco control commemorate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31st, the rallying cry is to prevent young people from starting to smoke. While the 2008 theme, "Tobacco-Free Youth" calls for additional limitations on the marketing practices of cigarette marketers and other comprehensive changes, a major determining factor of children's tobacco use is the smoking status of their parents.

"By quitting smoking, parents can play a major role in helping to end the vicious cycle of passing addiction from generation to generation," said Howard Marsh, M.D., medical director, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. "Parents who want to take this important step on May 31st should get help from proven smoking cessation treatments such as therapeutic nicotine to increase their chances of staying off cigarettes for good."

Smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease and one of the most powerful and important addictions to break. That said, many smokers can't do it alone. Evidence-based treatments such as therapeutic nicotine including (US: NicoDerm(R) CQ(R), Nicorette and Commit) (ex-US) NiQuitin(R) and Nicabate(R) in combination with counseling offers a significantly better chance of quitting versus cold turkey.(3)

Consider these statistics: -- Therapeutic nicotine smoking cessation aids, Nicorette(R) gum (United States only), NicoDerm CQ patch and Commit(R) lozenge, and NiQuitin and Nicabate brands outside of the United States, have helped over 6.5 million people around the world quit smoking and, as a result, have significantly reduced their exposure to the risks of cancer and other smoking-related diseases.(4) -- More than one billion patches, lozenges and gums were sold in 2007 to help smokers quit.(5) -- Quitters using therapeutic nicotine can double their chances of success versus quitting without help. -- More than 110 studies involving approximately 40,000 smokers have demonstrated the safety of therapeutic nicotine, even in populations with specific health conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lung disease, and existing heart disease.(6) -- International and national guidelines from the United States, United Kingdom and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend therapeutic nicotine as a first-line treatment for smoking addiction.(7) -- Committed Quitters is the only free, tailored Web-based behavioral support program that has been proven to increase a smoker's chances of quitting. This program is available as Click2Quit in the UK. -- More than 13 billion packs of cigarettes have gone un-sold as a result of smokers quitting with therapeutic nicotine.(8)

GlaxoSmithKline's line of therapeutic nicotine products such as Nicorette gum (United States only), NicoDerm CQ patch and Commit lozenge, and NiQuitin and Nicabate brands outside of the United States, are easy to access in thousands of retail outlets and pharmacies worldwide. These products are designed specifically to break the daily addiction cycle by offering a gradual, controlled delivery of nicotine to the body, helping to relieve cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world's largest over-the-counter consumer healthcare products companies. Its more than 30 well-known brands include the leading smoking cessation products, Nicorette(R), NicoDerm(R) and Commit(R), NiQuitin and Nicabate, as well as many medicine cabinet staples such as Abreva(R), Aquafresh(R), Sensodyne(R) and Tums(R). GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare continues to develop innovative products to help all smokers find their best support system and achieve their goal of being cigarette free.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare companies. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

NOTE: GlaxoSmithKline distributes Nicorette(R) gum, Nicoderm(R) patch and Commit(R) lozenge the United States. Outside of the U.S., its smoking cessation patch and lozenge are marketed as Nicabate(R) in Australia and NiQuitin(R) in other countries.

(1) Bricker, Leroux, et al; Nine-year prospective relationship between parental smoking cessation and children's daily smoking; Addiction, 98, 585-593 (2) Chassin, Presson, et al; Parental Smoking Cessation and Adolescent Smoking; Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol.27, No.6, 2002, pp. 585-593 (3) Fiore MC, Bailey WC, Cohen SJ, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: (4) Projection of the Cumulative Number of Global GSKCH NRT Quitters (5) Projection of the Cumulative Number of Global GSKCH NRT Quitters (6) Stead LF, Perera R, Bullen C, Mant D, Lancaster T. Nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD000146. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000146.pub3. (7) 2008 U.S. Public Health Service Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence; early draft released in October 2007. (8) Projection of the Cumulative Number of Global GSKCH NRT Quitters US Contacts: Samantha Schwarz, GolinHarris +1-312-622-1124 sschwarz@golinharris.com Jennifer May, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare +1-412-200-3729 Jennifer.L.May@gsk.com Contacts Outside of the US: Claire Dixon EU , +44-20-8047-4296, Claire.E.Dixon@gsk.com Graham Read, Australia/New Zealand, +612-9684-0295, Graham.A.Read@gsk.com