Exploring the inter-relationship of smoking age-at-onset, cigarette consumption and smoking persistence: genes or environment?
BACKGROUND
We investigated the genetic and environmental contributions to covariation between smoking age-at-onset, cigarette consumption and smoking persistence.


METHODS
Multivariate biometrical modelling methods were applied to questionnaire data from Australian twins and their siblings (14 472 individuals from 6247 families). The contributions of genetic and environmental factors to covariation between the three traits were estimated, allowing for sex differences in both trait prevalence and the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects.


RESULTS
All traits were moderately heritable in males and females (estimates between 0.40 and 0.62), but there were sex differences in the extent to which additive genetic influences were shared across traits. Twin-specific environmental factors accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in smoking age-at-onset in females (0.19) and males (0.12), but had little influence (<0.08) on other traits. Unique environmental factors were estimated to have a moderate influence on smoking age-at-onset (0.17 for females, 0.19 for males), but a stronger influence on other traits (between 0.39 and 0.49).


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide some insight into observed sex differences in smoking behaviour, and suggest that searching for pleiotropic genes may prove fruitful. However, further work on phenotypic definitions of smoking behaviour, particularly persistence, is warranted.
Morley
Katherine I
KI
Genetic Epidemiology Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queensland, Australia. kateM@qimr.edu.au
Lynskey
Michael T
MT
Madden
Pamela A F
PA
Treloar
Susan A
SA
Heath
Andrew C
AC
Martin
Nicholas G
NG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010641:Phenotype; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D013223:Statistics as Topic