More than two-thirds of people who try just one cigarette may go on

to become regular smokers, new research suggests.

Researchers found that just over 60% of adults said they tried a 【M1】__________

cigarette at some point in their lives, with almost 69% of those noting

that they had, at least for period, gone on to smoke cigarettes daily. 【M2】__________

“This shows prevention is a good idea,” said Peter Hajek, from Queen

Mary University.

The research, that published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco 【M3】__________

Research, is based on data pooled from five surveys conducting since the 【M4】__________

year 2000, including three each from the UK and USA, and a further

two studies from Australia and New Zealand. Together, the surveys

concluded more than 216,000 respondents, with between 50% and 82% 【M5】__________

saying that, after trying a cigarette, they had gone on to smoke on a

daily basis—at least temporary. Further analysis showed that,taken 【M6】__________

together, an estimated 68. 9% of individuals smoked daily for a period

after trying a cigarette.

The team also looked at whether the results were likely to be

skewed by smokers being little likely to respond in surveys than non- 【M7】__________

smokers, but no strong effect was found. However, the authors note

that the study also has other limitations, including that the findings are

based on respondents, self-reporting information, meaning the resulting

figures are only an estimate. “It is possible that anybody who is a 【M8】__________

lifetime non-smoker did try a cigarette when he was a kid but it didn’t

make any impression of him, and he doesn’t see that it is important 【M9】__________

enough to report,” said Hajek. But, he added, “I think even if when 【M10】_________

you assume there is a recall issue, you are talking about more than a

50% conversion rate from trying a cigarette to daily smoking.”

【M6】