Smoking cessation interventions for U.S. young adults, 1999-2008: A systematic review

In 2006 young adults aged 18-24 represented the adult age group with the highest smoking prevalence in the United States. Studies have demonstrated the importance of quitting smoking before age 30 to avoid tobacco-related mortality but little attention has been paid to developing evidence-based smoking cessation interventions for young adults, as distinct from adolescents and older-age adults. This study summarizes existing evidence on smoking cessation interventions for young adults through systematic review. Manual searches of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Sociological Abstracts and the bibliographies of eligible publications were conducted to identify articles on smoking cessation interventions for young adults implemented after the Master Settlement Agreement. To be eligible, studies had to be outcome evaluations of smoking cessation interventions conducted in the United States for young adults, aged 18-24, between 1999 and 2008. Randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and observational studies were included if they included before and after measures of tobacco use and reported changes from baseline to follow-up or intergroup differences. This review focused on behavioral or pharmacologic interventions for smoking cessation delivered at the individual or small-group level and communication interventions delivered to larger groups. This study contributes to a growing body of research on tobacco use among young adults and builds upon existing analytic tools to improve health planning and policy by identifying and characterizing evidence-based interventions for smoking cessation in young adults. Recommendations from this review may affect the planning and implementation of future smoking cessation interventions for young adults.