Abstract
BackgroundAdolescent smoking is a worldwide public health concern. Whilst various support measures are available to help young smokers quit, their utilization of cessation support remains unknown.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2012 Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People survey to quantify the use of seven different types of cessation support by adolescents aged 11-16 in England who reported current smoking and having tried to quit, or ex-smoking. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals for the associations between participant characteristics and reported use of cessation support.ResultsAmongst 617 current and ex-smokers, 67.3 % (95 % CI 63.0-71.2) reported use of at least one cessation support measure. Not spending time with friends who smoke was the most commonly-used measure, reported by 45.4 % of participants (95 % CI 41.1-49.8), followed by seeking smoking cessation advice from family or friends (27.4 %, 95 % CI 23.7-31.5) and using nicotine products (15.4 %, 95 % CI 12.6-18.7). Support services provided by the National Health Service (NHS) were infrequently utilized. Having received lessons on smoking was significantly associated with reported use of cessation support (adjusted OR 1.55, 95 % CI 1.02-2.34) and not spending time with friends who smoked (adjusted OR 1.98, 95 % CI 1.33-2.95). Students with family members who smoked were more likely to report asking family or friends for help to quit (adjusted OR 1.74, 95 % CI 1.07-2.81). Respondents who smoked fewer cigarettes per week were generally less likely to report use of cessation support measures.ConclusionThe majority of young smokers reported supported attempts to quit, though the support they used tended to be informal rather than formal. Evidence is needed to quantify the effectiveness of cessation support mechanisms which are acceptable to and used by young smokers.
Highlights
IntroductionWhilst various support measures are available to help young smokers quit, their utilization of cessation support remains unknown
Adolescent smoking is a worldwide public health concern
A large body of existing literature has examined the effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions in adults, such as the use of nicotine replacement therapy [7], physician advice [8], telephone quitlines [9] and National Health Service (NHS) Stop Smoking Services [10]
Summary
Whilst various support measures are available to help young smokers quit, their utilization of cessation support remains unknown. There remains a paucity of good quality evidence for the effectiveness of cessation support mechanisms in young people [11]. Little is Shaikh et al BMC Public Health (2015) 15:562 known about how adolescent smokers who want to quit go about trying to do so, and whether they use any of the sources of cessation support available to them in the process. In conjunction with evidence for effectiveness, an understanding of what means of cessation support are utilised by, and likely acceptable to, young people is crucial in planning and targeting cessation services for this age group
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