Headaches may lead to smoking

Adolescents with frequent headaches are more likely to smoke daily and also have a more difficult time quitting the habit. Previous studies have found a strong relationship between tobacco smoking and headaches. To further figure out the relation between the two, researchers in New Zealand studied 980 men and women who were asked about their smoking behaviour and headache history at the age of 11 and 13 years (before adolescence), 15 years (adolescence), and 26 years (adulthood). The gender and socio-economic factors that influence smoking status were taken into consideration during the analysis. It was found that adolescents who reported frequent headaches were twice more likely to smoke at the age of 26 years than those without headaches. Further, adult smokers were less likely to quit if they had headaches at the age of 15 years. Also, attempts to quit smoking were significantly more difficult for migraine sufferers with a history of headache than for those with tension-type headaches. The researchers concluded that frequent headaches during mid-adolescence seemed to increase the risk of daily smoking in adolescence and adulthood. The conclusions establish a close association between headaches and smoking during adolescence. The findings highlight the need for parents and healthcare providers to take a serious look at children's headache complaints.