Origin of the fluorescent light start up energy myth?

As a child, I was told that switching the fluorescent light on in the kitchen used as much energy as leaving it switched on for an hour, so it was considered best to leave it switched on all evening.

While it is true that starting a fluorescent tube on an old-fashioned switch-start ballast does require more power than running it, the true comparison is that switching on the light only uses as much energy as leaving it switched on for a few seconds. So, really, it would have been better to have switched that light off when we left the room.

Nevertheless, this myth is pervasive and I have heard it from other people apart from my mother. Has anyone any idea of where this myth originates from?