Substance Use Disorder Counselors' Reports of Tobacco Cessation Services Availability, Implementation, and Tobacco-related Knowledge

Abstract

Purpose Adolescence is a prime developmental stage for early tobacco cessation (TC) intervention. This study examined substance use disorder (SUD) counselors’ reports of the availability and implementation of TC services (TCS) (behavioral treatments and pharmacotherapies) in their treatment programs, and the relationship between their tobacco-related knowledge and implementation of TCS. Methods Survey data were collected in 2012 from 63 counselors working in 22 adolescent-only treatment programs. Measures included 15 TC behavioral treatments, nine TC pharmacotherapies, and three tobacco-related knowledge scales (morbidity/mortality, modalities and effectiveness, pharmacology). Results First, 9 of the 15 behavioral treatments are reported as being available by more than half of counselors; 4 of the 15 behavioral treatments are used by counselors with more than half of adolescents. Of the 9 pharmacotherapies, availability of the nicotine patch is reported by almost 40%, buproprion by nearly 30%, and clonidine by about 21% of counselors. Pharmacotherapies are used by counselors with very few adolescents. Second, counselors’ tobacco-related knowledge varies based on the knowledge scale examined. Third, we only find a significant positive relationship between counselors’ implementation of TC behavioral treatments and TC modalities and effectiveness knowledge. Discussion Findings suggest that more behavioral treatments should be made available in SUD treatment programs considering that they are the main treatment recommendation for adolescents. Counselors should be encouraged to routinely use a wide range of available behavioral treatments. Finally, counselors should be encouraged to expand their knowledge of TC modalities and effectiveness because of the relationship with behavioral treatments implementation.

Knowledge about and sources of smoking-related knowledge, and influencing factors among male urban secondary school students in Chongqing, China

“…Previous studies show that school intervention activities about tobacco control played a positive role in improving middle school students’ awareness of knowledge about tobacco control; the right beliefs hold rate and health behavior formation rate of tobacco (Zawahir et al 2013). Previous study also showed that 81% of students had never been taught throughout school for smoking or tobacco prevention (Muilenburg et al 2015). Considering this, the schools should systematically offer tobacco control education within the regular curriculum.…”

“…In the 2010 Global Adult Tobacco China Survey, nonsmokers had a better knowledge about the harms of smoking than smokers (Cheng et al 2015). Improving knowledge and self-efficacy are essential strategies for reducing the high rate of smoking among teenagers, and previous study found that knowledge of tobacco cessation was significantly positively related with the implementation of tobacco cessation behavioral treatments (Muilenburg et al 2015). About 13.0% of students believed that smoking makes people look more attractive, and 81% of students had never been taught about smoking or tobacco prevention at school in China (Xu et al 2015b).…”

Implementation of smoking cessation treatment in substance use disorder treatment settings: a review

“…In a sample of counselors working in facilities that had adopted tobacco treatment, self-reported skill in tobacco cessation was positively associated with implementation of behavioral interventions and pharmacotherapy (66). A similar relationship between knowledge and implementation of behavioral interventions was found in a sample of counselors working in adolescent-only SUD programs (67). Counselors' knowledge of the PHS practice guideline was positively correlated with implementation of the 5 As and counseling sessions dedicated to smoking cessation (23,62).…”

Applying a Social–Ecological Framework to Factors Related to Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Adolescent Smoking Cessation

“…In a survey of 12 adolescent substance use residential treatment centers, Chun et al 56 found less than half of sites provided NRT to adolescents. In a similar study among mental health centers, Muilenburg et al 57 also found less than half of centers provided the nicotine patch, though the counselors stated pharmacotherapies were used by very few adolescents. Also surveying mental health-care providers, Morris and colleagues 28 found the professionals were split on their views regarding NRT, with half viewing medications as inappropriate for youth, whereas the other half asserted these cessation aids were not utilized enough.…”