Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114850

James. H Price, PhD, MPH¹, Timothy Jordan, PhD, MEd¹, and Joseph A. Dake, PhD, MPH². (1) Department of Public Health, University of Toledo, 2801 West Bancroft, Toledo, OH 43606, (419) 530-4180, jprice@utnet.utoledo.edu, (2) Division of Health, Wayne State University, 262 Matthaei Bldg., Detroit, MI 48202

Purpose: To study Ohio pediatricians use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) with adolescent smokers.

Methods: 203 randomly selected pediatricians (52% response rate)responded to a valid and reliable 37-item questionnaire regarding the following topics: perceptions of prescribing NRT, confidence level in using NRT, perceived barriers to prescribing NRT, use of the 5 A's counseling method, sources of information regarding NRT, and stages of change regarding the use of NRT.

Results: A plurality (44%) reported they did not feel competent in helping adolescents quit smoking cigarettes. Less than a fifth (17%) were currently prescribing NRT (action and maintenance stages). A plurality (48%) perceived NRT to be safe for adolescent use but a majority (53%) rated themselves as not confident in their ability to use NRT. Those who prescribed NRT reported using transdermal patches (81%), nicotine gum (53%), or Zyban/Wellbutrin (44%). Pediatricians claimed they were most likely to base their decisions to use NRT on whether: the adolescent showed an openness to quitting (78%), the adolescent requested NRT (72%), and if the adolescent had a health problem exacerbated by smoking (56%).

Conclusion: The low level of perceived competence in helping adolescents quit smoking may be due to the fact that few pediatricians identified medical school as a major source of information for helping adolescents stop smoking. Even though preliminary evidence suggests that NRT is safe to use with adolescents, less than half of the responding pediatricians perceived it to be safe, possibly indicating a lack of awareness of the current literature.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe pediatricians’ practices regarding prescribing NRT for adolescent smokers.
• Explain the degree to which pediatricians use 5A’s smoking cessation counseling method with their adolescent patients that smoke.
• Assess how pediatricians perceive NRT in terms of safety, efficacy, and appropriateness for adolescent smokers. 4.Discuss ways of improving clinically based smoking cessation services for adolescent patients that smoke.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.