The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #72577

Nancy G Murray, DrPH, MA¹, Jennifer L. Conroy, DrPH, MPH², Ross Shegog, PhD¹, Carolyn Agurcia, MA¹, Steven H Kelder, PhD, MPH³, and Alexander V. Prokhorov, MD, PhD². (1) Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, UT-Houston School of Public Health, 7000 Fannin, Houston, TX 77030, 713-500-6-9629, nmurray@sph.uth.tmc.edu, (2) Department of Behavioral Sciences, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, HMB 3.063.11, Houston, TX 77030, (3) School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, 7000 Fannin, Suite 2658, Houston, TX 77030

Introduction: Few adolescents successfully quit smoking and little is known about their process. Methods: Baseline data collection for a tobacco prevention/cessation CD-ROM program, ASPIRE, was conducted in the Fall 2002 in 16 high schools from one of the ten largest school district in the U.S. Demographics: Mean age of respondents (n=1447) was 15.7 (± .91), 42% male, 58% Hispanic, 35% African-American, 3% White, and 4% other race/ethnicity. Results: Of 1359 students providing complete data, 4% (n=51) used to smoke regularly and quit. Of nine reasons cited for quitting, making their own decision was most frequent (67%). Encouragement from boyfriend/girlfriend (22%), siblings (10%), friends (6%), and parents (4%) were cited less frequently, and formal programs/curricula, school, or police rarely or never. To quit, 61% reported they went ‘cold turkey’, 14% reported gradually cutting down and then quitting. Following a self-help book, switching to light cigarettes first, going through a formal program, using doctor-prescribed quitting aids, or using nicotine gum, chewing tobacco, cigars, or a nicotine patch were rarely cited as methods. However, only 63% wanted to quit smoking for good, 30% think they will smoke a cigarette in the next year, and 20% would smoke if their best friends offered them a cigarette. Conclusions: Data suggest few high school students are able to quit smoking, the most prevalent quitting strategy is to quit cold turkey, and almost a third feel that they will smoke again in the next year.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
• 1.List reasons and methods for quitting smoking reported by adolescents
• 2.Describe adolescents’ perception that they will remain abstinent from smoking.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.