Physiological sensations of initial smoking in the development of regular smoking behavior.

This study examined the relationships between adolescents' physiological sensations of smoking during initiation and early experience. For a national sample of a birth cohort of 2,043 adolescents, ages 15 to 22 years at the follow-up, variables of interest included measures of smoking behavior and physiological sensations reported from the initial smoking experience. Analysis showed that adolescents experimenting with smoking were more likely to become regular smokers over three years if they indicated that they felt relaxed, felt dizzy, did not feel sick, and did not cough during the initial smoking experience. Antismoking interventions may impede the transition to regular smoking by helping adolescents interpret the physiological sensations as negative and unhealthy.