Reviewing the needs of unemployed youth in smoking intervention programmes

Abstract

In Australia, the impact of unemployment on adolescent smoking behaviour continues to present a major public health problem. Traditional prevention programmes in both primary and secondary schools appear to be achieving a delay in the onset of smoking. However, smoking rates of young people who are unemployed are unacceptably higher than those of in-school youth. This paper provides a review of the published literature, showing that there has been little effort to address smoking patterns or experiences of quitting for this target group. While the provision of employment opportunities or skill training for this group is important, these strategies will not eliminate the problem of smoking. Steps must be taken to encourage research into the development of tailored programmes for unemployed youth who smoke. These programmes must be carefully considered and evaluated and meet the needs of this diverse group of young people.

A critique of evaluated adolescent smoking cessation programmes

“…number of authors have noted deficiencies in adolescent smoking cessation programmes, and have suggested improvements in their structure (Stanton et al, 1995;Albrecht et al, 1998;Sussman et al, 1999). However, in terms of programme impact it could be beneficial to address the impact of broader issues in adolescents' environments.…”

“…It has also been suggested that social mores have undergone ''de construction'', which may have limited drug use in the past (United Nations International Drug Control Programme, 1997;Flay et al, 1998;Hu et al, 1998). A longitudinal study of adolescent smokers found that they had more respiratory and other health problems than non-smokers, a greater likelihood of regarding their health as due to chance, played less school sport, were more likely to have parents who sought assistance for their child's problems, greater use of alcohol, and more contact with police (Stanton et al, 1995).…”

“…It has also been widely acknowledged that prevention of adolescent smoking rather than cessation has received the greatest attention in research endeavours, despite the fact that the majority of adolescent smokers have made at least one serious attempt to quit (Stanton et al, 1995) Among U.S. high school youth, 55-67 per cent of smokers aged between 12 to 18 years state that they have tried, or intend to quit, (Sussman et al, 1998;Burt and Peterson, 1998) and 81 per cent of a New Zealand cohort of 18 year old daily smokers reported attempting to quit, or at least cut down . In another U.S. study of young smokers approximately three-quarters of daily users indicated that one of the reasons they used tobacco was because it was difficult to quit (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1994).…”