28% of smoker parents refuse to quit

MORE than a quarter of Irish parents refuse to quit the weed despite evidence that it is more likely their children will take up the deadly habit.

The research, published yesterday by the Health Service Executive (HSE), shows that of the 48% of current or past smokers, 62% had parents who both smoked while 78% grew up in a house where either parent was a smoker.

A breakdown of the 52% of non-smokers shows that 60% had one parent who smoked whereas 40% had parents who did not smoke.