A latest research finds that teen boys are more likely to quit smoking than teen girls.

Researchers at the University of Montreal, Canada, also found that  teens were afraid of the warning labels on cigarettes packs. Moreover, those participating in sports had more chances of quitting smoking.

"It is imperative that we better understand the factors that promote smoking discontinuation in girls compared with boys, so that we can design gender-specific interventions," study author Jennifer O'Loughlin, a professor in the department of social and preventive medicine at the University of Montreal, said, reports HealthDay.

For the study, researchers examined 620 children from Montreal aged between 12 and 13.. All of the preteens and teens smoked occasionally. Around 40 percent of them reported parents that smoked, nearly 90 percent had friends who smoked and around 80 percent said that they saw teachers or school staff members smoke.

The children were tracked for five years. Researchers noted that during the study time frame 40 percent of them had stopped smoking. The team calculated that teen boys were 80 percent more likely to quit the habit than teen girls. Older teens were also more likely to quit the habit than younger ones.

Researchers also examined the effects of warning labels. They found that teens who reported being scared of these warnings were 44 percent more likely to quit. Teens participating in team sports were 40 percent more likely to stop smoking. The researchers also found quite a few other factors that reduced teens' likelihood of quitting. These factors included family stress, weight issues, drug use and strong cravings.

"Overall, these results support that healthy family habits, which include nonsmoking as the norm as well as positive exchange and functioning, will help novice smokers discontinue smoking," O'Loughlin said. "Parents who smoke should understand the effects of their smoking on their children, and families should work together or with professionals to identify and reduce sources of family stress. Parents should engage their children in sports and other healthy activities."

The study was published in the journal, Cancer Epidemiology.