Abstract
Using a correlated liability dimensions model, we examined the extent to which the same genetic and environmental factors influence both initiation of regular cigarette smoking and maintenance of the smoking habit in men and women. We analyzed questionnaire survey data obtained from large samples of male and female like-sexed twins from three countries, Australia (N = 1535 pairs), Sweden (N = 5916 pairs), and Finland (N = 4438 pairs), subdivided into three age bands (18–25, 26–35, and 36–46 years of age). We found that familial influences on risk for persistence in smoking cannot be entirely explained by the same factors responsible for risk of smoking initiation. Total genetic variance for smoking persistence varied little by age band and sex (range, 39–49% in women and 42–45% in men); however, even among twins in the youngest group (18–25 years of age), who on average have the fewest years of cigarette use, less than 40% of the total genetic variance in smoking persistence was accounted for by the same genetic factors that increased risk of smoking initiation, and this percentage decreased to less than 10% in the 36–46 year olds.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Boomsma, D. I., Koopmans, J. R., Van Doomen, L. J. P., and Orlebeke, J. F. (1994). Genetic and social influences on starting to smoke: A study of Dutch adolescent twins and their parents. Addiction 89: 219-226.
Carmelli, D., Swan, G. E., Robinette, D., and Fabsitz, R. R. (1990). Heritability of substance use in the NAS-NRC twin registry. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. 39:91-98.
Carmelli, D., Swan, G. E., Robinette, D., and Fabsitz, R. (1992). Genetic influence on smoking—A study of male twins. N. Engl. J. Med. 327:829-883
Cederlöf, R., Friberg, L., Jonsson, E., and Kaij, L. (1961). Studies on similarity diagnosis in twins with the aid of mailed questionnaire. Acta Genet. Stat. Med. 1:338-362.
Crumpacker, D. W., Cederlöf, R., Friberg, L., Kimberling, W. J., Sorensen, S., Vandenberg, S. G., Williams, J. S., McClearn, G. E., Grever, B., Iyer, H., Krier, M. J., Pedersen, N. L., Price, R. A., and Roulette, I. (1979). A twin methodology for the study of genetic and environmental control of variation in human smoking behavior. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. 28:173-195.
Doll, R., and Peto, R. (1976). Mortality in relation to smoking: 20 years' observations on male British doctors. Br. Med. J. 2:1525-1536.
Doll, R., Gray, R., Hafner, B., and Peto, R. (1980). Mortality in relation to smoking: 20 years' observations in female British doctors. Br. Med. J. 280:967-971.
Eaves, L. J., and Eysenck, H. J. (1980). The genetics of smoking. In Eysenck, H. J. (ed.), The Causes and Effects of Smoking, Temple-Smith, London.
Eaves, L. J., Eysenck, H. J., and Martin, N. G. (1989). Genes, Culture and Personality, Academic Press, London.
Edwards, K. L., Austin, M. A., and Jarvik G. P. (1995). Evidence for genetic influences on smoking in adult women twins. Clin. Genet. 47:236-244.
Hannah, M. C., Hopper, J. L., and Mathews, J. D. (1985). Twin concordance for a binary trait. II. Nested analysis of ever-smoking and ex-smoking traits and unnested analysis of a “committed-smoking” trait. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 37:153-165.
Heath, A. C. (1990). Persist or quit? Testing for a genetic contribution to smoking persistence. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. 39:447-458.
Heath, A. C., and Madden, P. A. F. (1995). Genetic influences on smoking behavior. In Turner, J. R., Cardon, L. R., and Hewitt, J. K. (eds.) Behavior Genetic Approaches in Behavioral Medicine, Plenum, New York, pp. 45-66.
Heath, A. C., and Martin, N. G. (1993). Genetic models for the natural history of smoking: Evidence for a genetic influences on smoking persistence. Addict. Behav. 18:19-34.
Heath, A. C., Cates, R., Martin, N. G., Meyer, J., Hewitt, J. K., Neale, M. C., and Eaves, L. J. (1993a). Genetic contribution to risk of smoking initiation: Comparisons across birth cohorts and across cultures. J. Subst. Abuse 5:221-246.
Heath, A. C., Kessler R. C., Neale, M. C., Hewitt, J. K., Eaves, L. J., and Kendler, K. S. (1993b). Testing hypotheses about direction of causation using cross-sectional family data. Behav. Genet. 23:29-50.
Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A. F., Slutske, W. S., and Martin, N. G. (1995). Personality and the inheritance of smoking behavior: A genetic perspective. Behav. Genet. 25:103-117.
Heath, A. C., Madden, P. A. F., and Martin, N. G. (1998). Statistical methods in genetic research on smoking. Stat. Methods Med. Res. 7:1-22.
Hughes, J. R. (1986). Genetics of smoking: A brief review. Behav. Ther. 17:335-345.
Jardine, R., and Martin, N. G. (1984). Causes of variation in drinking habits in a large twin sample. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. 33: 435-450.
Jöreskog, K. G., and Sörbom, D. (1993). PRELIS 2 User's Reference Guide, Scientific Software International, Chicago.
Kaprio, J., and Koskenvuo, M. (1988). A prospective study of psychological and socioeconomic characteristics, health behavior and morbidity in cigarette smokers prior to quitting compared to persistent smokers and non-smokers. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 41:139-150.
Kaprio, J., Sarna, S., Koskenvuo, M., and Rantasalo, I. (1978). The Finnish Twin Registry: Baseline Characteristics, Section II, University of Helsinki Press, Helsinki.
Kaprio, J., Hammer, N., Koskenvuo, M., Floderus-Myrhed, B., Langinvainio, H., and Sarna, S. (1982). Cigarette smoking and alcohol use in Finland and Sweden: A cross-national twin study. Int. J. Epidemiol. 11:378-386.
Kaprio, J., Koskenvuo, M., and Langinvainio, H. (1984). Finnish twins reared apart. IV. Smoking and drinking habits. A preliminary analysis of the effect of heredity and environment. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. 33:425-433.
Kaprio, J., Boomsma, D. I., Heikkilä, K., Koskenvuo, M., Romanov, K., Rose, R. J., Viken, R. J., and Winter, T. (1995). Genetic variation in behavioral risk factors for atherosclerosis: Twin-family study of smoking and cynical hostility. In Woodford, F. P., Davignon, J., and Sniderman, A. (eds.) Atherosclerosis X (Proceedings of the Xth International Symposium on Atherosclerosis, Montreal, 1994). Excerpta Medica International Congress Series 1066, pp. 634-637.
Kendler, K. S., Heath, A. C., Martin, N. G., and Eaves, L. J. (1986). Symptoms of anxiety and depression in a volunteer twin population: The etiologic role of genetic and evironmnetal factors. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 43:213-221.
Kendler, K. S., Neale, M. C., MacLean, C. J., Heath, A. C. Eaves, L. J., and Kessler, R. C. (1993). Smoking and major depression: A casual analysis. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 50:36-43.
Kendler, K. S. Neale, M. C., Sullivan, P., Corey, L. A., Gardner, C. O., and Prescott, C. A. (1999). A population-based twin study in women of smoking initiation and nicotine dependence. Psychol. Med. 29:299-308.
Madden, P. A. F., Bucholz, K. K., Pedersen, N., Kaprio, J., Koskenvuo, M. J., and Martin, N. G. (1999). The genetics of smoking initiation and persistence: A cross-cultural study. Unpublished manuscript.
Medlund, P., Cederlof, R., Floderus-Myrhed, R., Friberg, L., and Sorensen, S. (1977). A New Swedish Twin Registry. Acta Med. Scand. Suppl. 600.
Neale, M. C. (1997). MX: Statistical Modeling, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.
Neale, M. C., and Cardon, L. R. (1992). Methodology for Genetic Studies of Twins and Families, NATO ASI Series, Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
Pedersen, N. (1981). Twin similarity for usage of common drugs. In Gedda, L., Parise, P., and Nance, W. E. (eds.), Twin Research 3; Part C. Epidemiology and Clinical Studies, Alan R. Liss, New York, pp. 53-59.
Raascho-Nielsen, E. (1960). Smoking habits in twins. Dan. Med. Bull. 7:82-88.
Risch, H. A., Howe, G. R., Jain, M., Burch, D., Holowaty, E. J., and Miller, A. B. (1993). Are female smokers at higher risk for lung cancer than male smokers? A case-control analysis by histologic type. Am. J. Epidemiol, 138:282-293.
Sarna, S., Kaprio, J., Sistonen, P., and Koskenvuo, M. (1978). Diagnosis of twin zygosity by mailed questionnaire. Hum. Hered. 28:241-254.
Swan, G. E., Carmelli, P., Rosenman, R. H., Fabsitz, R. R., and Christian J. C. (1990). Smoking and alcohol consumption in adult male twins: Genetic heritability and shared environmental influences. J. Subst. Abuse 2:39-50.
True, W. R., Heath, A. C., Scherrer, J. F., Waterman, B., Goldberg, J., Lin, N., Eisen, S. A., Lyons, M. J., and Tsuang, M. T. (1997). Genetic and environmental contributions to smoking. Addiction 92:1277-1287.
World Health Organization (1997). Tobacco or Health: A Global Status Report, World Health Organization, Geneva.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Madden, P.A.F., Heath, A.C., Pedersen, N.L. et al. The Genetics of Smoking Persistence in Men and Women: A Multicultural Study. Behav Genet 29, 423–431 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021674804714
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021674804714