Influences on adolescent use of the California helpline

Background: The California smoking cessation helpline has helped thousands of adults to quit their habit. Use of the California helpline by adolescent smokers has been less well documented.

Data source: Stratified, random sample survey of in-school California youth, involving a 99-item survey about tobacco use in 2005-2006 (N = 29, 279 6th through 12th graders).

Results: Of all respondents, 37.6% had ever smoked at least one puff, and 7.8% had ever smoked daily. Quitting rates “in last 12 months” declined linearly from 59.4% (7th graders) to 46.9% (12th graders). Among exsmokers – those who had not smoked in last month but had smoked 100+ cigarettes previously – most (90.6%) reported quitting without the benefit of any cessation program. Among those who ever tried to quit, 3.7% [95% CI: 3.0, 4.5] reported using the California helpline. There were no differences in helpline use by sex or grade. However, Helpline use increased with increasing number of quit attempts: 3.2% quitting for first or second time, 3.9% trying 2-5 times; 4.5% trying 6-9 times; 11.0% trying 10+ times. Nearly 30% of students reported that their school offered a tobacco use treatment program (33.9% high school; 10.7% middle school). Also, students attending a school with an on-campus cessation program were more likely (5.9%, 95% CI: 4.3, 8.1) to report ever using the California helpline than students attending schools with no cessation program (3.5%, 95% CI: 2.5, 4.8).

Conclusion: Presence of cessation program on campus facilitates rather than hinders student smoker use of the California cessation helpline.