title: Fathers' intelligence measured at age 18-20 years is associated with offspring smoking: linking the Swedish 1969 conscription cohort to the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An association between lower IQ of parents, measured early in life, and smoking among their offspring has been reported. The extent to which other background factors account for this association is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on IQ, smoking, mental health, social class, parental divorce and social problems in a cohort of men born during 1949-1951 and conscripted for military service in 1969 were linked to smoking data on 682 offspring interviewed in the Swedish Surveys of Living Conditions 1984-2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In an age-adjusted model, a one-step decrease on a stanine scale was associated with an OR of 1.19 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.35) for offspring smoking. Adjusting for father's socioeconomic background and smoking, mental illness and social problems in youth only marginally lowered the OR's.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower IQ among fathers measured at ages 18-20 years was associated with smoking in their offspring. The association was not explained by father's social class in childhood or a higher prevalence of mental illness, social problems or smoking measured among the fathers in their late adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sörberg Wallin
authors.affiliation: Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundin
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Melin
authors.affiliation: Unit of Occupational Medicine, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Centre for Social Research on Alcohol and Drugs, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hemmingsson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012923:Social Class; D012924:Social Conditions; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cohort studies; PUBLIC HEALTH; REGISTERS; SMOKING; Social and life-course epidemiology