Reducing tobacco use by adolescents is a national health priority. In recent polls, most
adolescent smokers reported having tried unsuccessfully to quit. Smoking cessation treatment
during adolescence has the potential to interrupt the progression to nicotine dependence,
which is attended by a wide range of negative health consequences. Given the need for
effective smoking cessation programs aimed at youth, scientifically rigorous research is
warranted to reduce adolescent smoking. This project will address gaps in the scientific
treatment literature. The goal of this project is to develop a tailored, practical, and
efficacious smoking cessation intervention. Combined with other efforts in the field, this
work can provide an initial guide to an evidence-based treatment for smoking cessation in
youth.
In keeping with developments in other fields of medicine, we believe that further advances in
smoking cessation will move towards a goal of personalized treatment. Such an individualized
approach for adolescent smoking cessation will be informed by further investigation of the
relationships between outcomes in this trial. To serve these goals, we propose the following
program:
Youths who smoke regularly will receive a 6 week intervention using "cognitive-behavioral
motivational enhancement" (CBME) supplemented by nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), if youth
and parents desire this option. Furthermore, youth has to smoke more than 5 cigarettes a day
in order to qualify for nicotine replacement therapy. This approach is consistent with
treatment guidelines for smoking cessation (Fiore 2000).
Compared with participants who fail to achieve smoking cessation, those who successfully
achieve smoking abstinence during intervention, will have lower baseline rates of comorbid
ADHD, lower depressive symptom scores, enhanced readiness to quit, more negative attitudes
towards smoking, fewer friends who smoke, and fewer family members who smoke. The
investigators predict that the intervention will help youth to quit smoking and will examine
predictions of successful quitting.