185856 Do you want to quit smoking cigarettes? Correlates of intent to quit smoking in an adolescent population

Monday, October 27, 2008

Jessica L. Muilenburg, PhD , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Lucy Annang, PhD, MPH , Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, SC
Alexandra Burdell , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Marylen Rimando, MPH , Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
John Parmer, MPP , College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Donoria Evans, MPH , Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georiga, Athens, GA
William D. Johnson, PhD , Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisian State University System, Baton Rouge, LA
Stuart Usdan, PhD , Department of Health Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Background: Intention to quit smoking could be an indicator of an adolescent's desire to quit smoking. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates of intention to quit smoking among students who were current smokers.

Methods: Data were collected via paper-and-pencil surveys from high school students in a large southeastern city (N=4,336). Of these, 497 were current smokers (smoked at least once in the past 30 days) and are the focus of the current study.

Results: Nearly 43% of the sample were female and 56.1% were African-American. Those who wanted to quit smoking were more likely to be female (OR=1.49), be African American (OR=1.93), and want to graduate from high school (OR= 2.38). Beliefs about smoking included believing in government restrictions of tobacco (p=0.005), feeling that smoking is dangerous to their health (p<0.001), feeling that occasional smoking is harmful (p<0.001), believing that smoking a year or two and then quitting is harmful (p=0.032), and thinking second hand smoke is harmful (p=0.023). Behaviors related to quitting smoking included practicing saying no to smoking (p<0.001) and having more quit attempts (p<0.001). There were no differences in having a parent who smokes, home smoking restrictions, or having a friend smoke.

Conclusion: Even if a student is a current smoker, beliefs about cigarette smoking and behaviors that may enhance success in quitting smoking may motivate youth to cease smoking. Youth tobacco cessation programs should not neglect intervening on changing beliefs about smoking as a possible means of effecting motivation to change behavior.

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the relationships between motivation to quit smoking and related variables. 2. Discuss the importance of changing beliefs in a smoking cessation program. 3. Define the problem of smoking in an adolescent population

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Research, articles, publications, grants
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Novel Approaches to Tobacco Prevention
See more of: Public Health Education and Health Promotion