Children who smoke just one cigarette at the age of 11 are more than twice as likely to take up smoking within the next three years, according to a new study.

Cancer Research UK researchers analysed data on nearly 6,000 school children aged between 11 and 16.

They found that in 2004, 14 per cent of 11-year-olds and 62 per cent of 15-year-olds in England had experimented with cigarettes.

By the age of 14, pupils who had given smoking a go just once at the age of 11 were twice as likely to have become regular smokers as their peers who had not smoked before.

These findings held true irrespective of gender, ethnicity, and deprivation, all factors known to influence the likelihood of taking up smoking.

Other influential factors, such as whether the parents smoked or whether the pupil had behavioral difficulties, also had no impact on the results.

The researchers say that their findings provide the first clear evidence of a "sleeper effect" or period of "dormant vulnerability" for teenagers who experiment with smoking just the once.

"Just one cigarette could change the reward pathway in the brain, which might then be activated by triggers, such as stress, depression, or the school environment,” said lead researcher Jennifer Fidler.

"Alternatively, trying out a cigarette might simply break down the social barriers that prevent teens from smoking, such as fear of displeasing adults or insecurities around how to smoke," she added.

The study findings are published in the journal Tobacco Control.