How seeing just 10 tobacco adverts can boost risk of teenagers smoking by 40% German followed 1,300 ten to 15-year-old non-smokers over 2.5 years Shown tobacco advertising and behaviour was monitored over period 10 tobacco adverts increased risk of starting to smoke by almost 40% Same number of ads increased risk of teenagers smoking daily by 30% Smoking advertisements were banned in the UK in 2003 Seeing 10 adverts for tobacco can increase teenagers' risk of starting to smoke by almost 40% Seeing 10 adverts for tobacco can increase teenagers' risk of taking up smoking by almost 40 per cent, a new study has today claimed. The German led research also found that the same number of sightings increase the chances of teenagers indulging in the habit daily by 30 per cent. They based their findings on more than 1,300 ten to 15-year-old non-smokers. The group was exposed to tobacco advertising and their subsequent behaviour was monitored over a period of two-and-a-half years. Billboard tobacco advertising is not yet banned in Germany. In 2008, the children - all pupils at 21 public schools in three different regions of Germany - were asked how often they had seen particular adverts. These included images for six of the most popular cigarette brands in Germany and eight other products, such as chocolate, clothes, mobile phones, and cars. In 2011, 30 months later, they were asked the same question, as well as how many cigarettes they had smoked to date, and whether they smoked regularly. One in three admitted having tried smoking during the 30 month study period, with one in 10 saying that they had smoked within the preceding month. One in 20 said they had smoked more than 100 cigarettes, and were therefore classified as 'established' smokers, while a similar proportion said they now smoked every day. A third of the daily smokers were aged 14 or younger; one in four was 16 or older. Exposure to cigarettes ads was much lower than that for the other non-tobacco products, but an ad for one particular cigarette brand was seen by almost half the youngsters at least once, and more than 10 times by 13 per cent of the sample. When a range of well known influences for taking up smoking was factored in, smoking among peers proved the strongest influence, followed closely by exposure to tobacco adverts. The German led research also found that the same number of sightings increase the chances of teenagers indulging in the habit daily by 30 per cent General advertising, promotions, and sponsorship of sporting events from tobacco and cigarette companies were banned in the UK in 2003, although some small exceptions to this legislation remain. At the time of the ban, 23 per cent of UK 15-year-olds smoked. According to the latest figures, that has dropped to just 11 per cent, but the figures remain higher in poorer areas. The Government is also moving towards legislation which would insist that all cigarette packets are completely blank and have no markings or logos. It comes after a ban on tobacco displays in large shops started last year with smaller shops to follow suit by 2015. The German analysis showed the greater the exposure to tobacco promotion, the greater the likelihood that the teen would take up smoking. The government imposed a ban on cigarette advertising on UK television almost 50 years ago, amid calls from the Royal College of Physicians, who flagged up health problems associated with smoking and pushed for stronger laws on advertising tobacco. The first link between smoking and lung cancer had been discovered in the late 1950s. While television advertising for cigarettes was banned in 1965, promotions for tobacco and cigars remained on screens until 1991. In 2003, then Health Secretary Alan Milburn joined Public Health Minister Hazel Blears in Lambeth, south London, to announce the ban on all promotion of tobacco. Speaking at the scene, Mr Milburn said he hoped up to 3,000 lives could be saved each year because of the ban. He added: 'Tobacco advertising and sponsorship have acted as a recruiting sergeant for children and young teenagers to start the tobacco habit.' Teenagers who saw the most tobacco ads (11 to 55) were around twice as likely to become established smokers and daily smokers as those who saw the least (zero to 2.5). And for each additional 10 sightings of a tobacco ad, a teen was 38 per cent more likely to become an established smoker and 30 per cent more likely to smoke every day, compared with sightings for non-tobacco product adverts. After taking account of other influential factors, the overall risk of becoming an established smoker was between three per cent and 7.3 per cent greater, while that of taking up daily smoking was between three per cent and 6.4 per cent greater, depending on how many adverts the teenager had seen. The authors acknowledge that a large proportion of the original 2,300 students involved, dropped out and that as with any observational study, there is always the chance that some as yet unmeasured factor could explain the results. However, they concluded that the data from their study support the association between tobacco advertising and smoking behaviour.