Youth Tobacco Cessation

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data, focusing on quit intentions and past-year quit attempts among current youth tobacco users. The study aims to describe the prevalence of quitting behaviors (quit intentions and past-year quit attempts) of cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco products among current youth tobacco users, including overall weighted prevalence estimates and estimates by tobacco product type, socio-demographics, and tobacco use characteristics.

Key Points:

* The study uses data from the 2012 NYTS, a nationally representative, cross-sectional school-based survey of middle and high school students in the U.S.
* Current tobacco users were defined as youth who used any tobacco product on at least one of the past 30 days, including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes, hookah, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, bidis, kreteks, snus, dissolvable tobacco, and any other new tobacco product.
* Quit intentions were measured by the question "Are you seriously thinking about quitting the use of all tobacco products?" and past-year quit attempts were measured by the question "During the past 12 months, how many times have you stopped using all tobacco products for 1 day or longer because you were trying to quit all tobacco products for good?"
* Overall weighted prevalence of quit intentions and past-year quit attempts among current youth tobacco users were 52.8% and 51.5%, respectively.
* Current cigarette smokers had the highest prevalence of quit intentions (56.8%) and past-year quit attempts (52.5%).
* Quit intentions among black, non-Hispanics (65.0%) and Hispanics (60.4%) were significantly higher versus white, non-Hispanics (47.5%).
* Youth reporting parental advice against tobacco use had significantly higher prevalence of quit intentions (56.7%) and past-year quit attempts (55.0%) than those not reporting parental advice.

Main Message:
The study highlights the importance of understanding youth quitting behaviors related to tobacco use, particularly among non-cigarette tobacco product users. The findings suggest that continued efforts are needed to better understand youth motivation for quitting all tobacco products and to develop targeted public health messaging and cessation interventions aimed at the full range of tobacco products, not just cigarettes. Additionally, the study emphasizes the significance of parental advice against tobacco use in promoting quit intentions and attempts among youth tobacco users.

Tworek, Cindy, Gillian L. Schauer, Charles C. Wu, Ann M. Malarcher, Kia J. Jackson, and Allison C. Hoffman. “Youth Tobacco Cessation.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 47, no. 2 (August 2014): S15–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.009.