Implications of genetic epidemiology for the prevention of tobacco use

Genetic epidemiology is the study of the pattern of common disease incidence in families and populations in order to infer the genetic basis of the disease. Genetic epidemiological studies are usually undertaken in advance of DNA-based studies aimed at genetic dissection. Truly transdisciplinary work on the prevention of tobacco use involving genetic epidemiology has not been conducted to date. As we prepare to move to the next generation of research on nicotine dependence, we have the advantage of being able to employ newly developed biobehavioral measures and to learn from previously encountered difficulties in the field of psychiatric genetics. Recent theoretical developments in the area of adolescent substance use clearly identify a role for both direct and indirect susceptibility to regular tobacco use that is in part determined by genetic factors. A logical next step for transdisciplinary work in this area is to design and implement a developmental study of substance use in children and their family members. A key step in the design and implementation of this longitudinal approach will be the utilization of measurement methods that determine with as much precision as possible the social, cultural, behavioral, and genetic factors that place adolescents at risk for tobacco dependence. The extent to which environmental risk factors interact with genetic risk factors to increase susceptibility to nicotine addiction is unknown. It is unlikely that knowledge of genetic risk factors alone will lead to effective prevention strategies. A longitudinal family study designed around the framework of a transdisciplinary theory of adolescent substance use offers the potential to be highly informative in the next generation of research on tobacco prevention.