Global Trends in Tobacco Cigarette Use among Adolescents: Prevalence of Use and Evidence Based Cessation Interventions

Abstract

Tobacco use remains a global problem, and as a demographic group, adolescents are at a high risk of its adverse effects. In addition, disparities exist in strategies to address tobacco control, particularly among youth from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. The health risks associated with tobacco use provide a compelling reason for all nations to prioritize addressing and regulating its use and providing sustainable funding sources for training healthcare professionals and others under Article 14 of the World Health Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This article has four primary goals: (1) to provide an overview of the 2005 World Health Organization’s international public health treaty - the World Health FCTC; (2) to examine the prevalence of tobacco cigarette use among adolescents globally and the impact of cultural/social influences on use; (3) to provide an overview of current evidence based smoking cessations interventions that have shown success with this group; and (4) to discuss the overarching social work implications and practice when working with adolescents who use tobacco cigarettes.