Washington, Aug 11 - Health educators should club smoking and drinking when they speak to teenagers about their dangers as those who drink heavily are also likely to be heavy smokers, researchers say.

Brian Daly, assistant professor of public health at the Temple University (T-U), said equal instances of smoking and binge drinking among teenagers highlights the need for a multi-pronged approach to education and intervention.

'These are important findings because they emphasise the need for education and intervention programs that target the co-occurrence of these two health risks,' Daly was quoted as saying in a T-U release.

Daly and colleagues determined rates of smoking and drinking through the collection of anonymous survey data from 2,450 African American, Hispanic and Caucasian students in grades 9-12 at Philadelphia public high schools.