Program Strategies for Adolescent Smoking Cessation

Abstract

School nurses who work with adolescents are in an ideal position to promote smoking cessation. This opportunity is important because research suggests teens who smoke are likely to become habitual smokers. This study characterizes adolescents' patterns and levels of smoking, describes adolescents' perceptions toward smoking, and delineates quit strategies that may prove helpful for adolescents who attempt smoking cessation. Results suggest adolescent smokers have highly variable patterns and levels of smoking. They fail to consider their future health and continue to be unaware of the harmful effects of smoking and the addictive nature of tobacco. Among adolescent smokers, there are few gender differences in perception of smoking. Therefore, gender specific cessation programs may not be necessary. The most effective quit strategy was the acquisition of information on contents of cigarettes and the health effects of smoking. Armed with these strategies, school nurses can provide leadership in the design and implementation of school based smoking cessation programs.

Attitudinal Factors Protective Against Youth Smoking: An Integrative Review

“…Youth who smoke are more likely to believe it makes them more appealing to others, as demonstrated by the positive association between the behavior and the perception of making one appear more grown up, cool, or attractive (Carpenter et al., ; Chang, ; Fritz, Wider, Hardin, & Horrocks, ; Parkinson et al., ). Data confirm that youth who smoke believe it is helpful in social and stressful situations.…”

“…For example, multiple authors found that perceived benefits of smoking include a feeling of belonging or increased popularity (Chang, ; Fritz et al., ; Schleicher, Harris, Catley, Harrar, & Golbeck, ; van Zundert et al., ). Another factor associated with smoking among youth is the perception that it is common and accepted (Fritz et al., ; Parkinson et al., ). Ling et al () found an association between smoking and advertising receptivity among young adults, which could have an attitudinal component.…”

“…Perhaps the most intuitive of attitudinal factors associated with smoking among youth is the perception that it provides substantial immediate benefit when compared with not smoking. An example of such an attitudinal factor is the tendency of young people to believe smoking provides stress abatement, helps one gain popularity or “look cool” (Carpenter, et al., ; Chang, ; Dijk et al., ; Fritz et al., ; Parkinson et al., ; Schleicher et al., ; van Zundert et al., ). More than one of the studies highlight abundant misconceptions related to the highly addictive nature of smoking among young people (Carpenter et al., ; Thompson et al., ).…”

“…Lack of resistance to smoking appears influenced by a young person's perception that others approve the behavior and it is a common activity (Fritz et al., ; Thompson et al., ). Alexander, Piazza, Mekos, and Valente () found there is indeed an increased risk for smoking among 7th through 12th graders when attending a school with a higher rate of smoking, when two or more of the youth's best friends are smokers, when half or more of the people in the peer network smoke, and when those in school perceived as popular smoke.…”

“…Young people who choose not to smoke seem more able to assign realistic values to the risks versus benefits of smoking than do those who smoke (Chang, ; Fritz et al., ; Schleicher et al., ; van Zundert et al., ). Codern et al () explained that there tends to be disparity in assignment of risk assessment values for a given behavior of even mature people when compared with experts.…”