title: The influence of nonresident fathers on adolescent and young adult cigarette smoking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this analysis we examine the relationship between nonresidential father involvement with their children and adolescent smoking behavior using a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. We attempt to determine what influence, if any, nonresident fathers have in the development of this health risk behavior in their adolescent children while accounting for aspects of parenting and family life that have been hypothesized to also influence adolescent cigarette smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data for this analysis come from the first 3 waves of the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Given the longitudinal nature of the data, we are able to ascertain whether nonresident father involvement affects adolescent cigarette smoking, an important advance in our understanding of the influence of fathers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that greater levels of nonresidential father involvement significantly decrease both the odds of participation in and the intensity of cigarette smoking, especially among girls. This influence is demonstrated not only in adolescence but persists into young adulthood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings underscore the importance of adolescents' living arrangements and the role that nonresident fathers might play in influencing adolescent cigarette smoking, a health risk behavior of strong public health significance. Fathers make important contributions to the health and wellbeing of their children, and interventions focused on nonresident fathers in particular would likely be of significant help to the substance abuse prevention field. Interventions to support father involvement, particularly of nonresident fathers, with their children should be implemented as a preventive strategy to reduce the likelihood of adolescent cigarette smoking.
authors.affiliation: Analysis and Services Research Branch, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse.
authors.forename: Mir M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Analysis and Services Research Branch, Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*