Thrill-seeking teens more likely to puff.

• Position: Smoking

Adolescents who demonstrate impulsive and risk-taking behavior and an increased need for stimulation, a personality trait known as "novelty-seeking," are more receptive to tobacco advertising and are at high risk for smoking initiation, according to a study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

"To better understand the influence of tobacco advertising on youth, this study sought to identity subgroups of adolescents who have been most receptive to tobacco advertising and promotional activities," explains Janet Audrain, Abramson Cancer Center, and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine. "While previous research has shown that receptivity to tobacco advertising is associated with higher levels of smoking among adolescents, few studies have examined how variability in personality traits ... may make certain teens more receptive to tobacco advertising."

Audrain's research team interviewed 1,071 ninth-graders at five public high schools. The students completed a questionnaire that assessed smoking habits, exposure to other smokers, receptivity to tobacco advertising, and the novelty-seeking personality trait. The...