Smoking cessation has both immediate and long term benefits, reducing risk for diseases caused by smoking and improving general health. The majority of youth understand the dangers of smoking, but quitting is difficult among this age group. This study examined the influence of secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure on adolescent smoking behaviors and addictive symptoms. Exposure to SHS is a known health risk, but little is known about its influence on the addictive symptoms and smoking behaviors of smokers. A new conceptual model is tested which incorporates known influences on tobacco use in the adolescent population. The model outlines a continuum matching the behavioral and physiological components from prior exposure to tobacco through abstinence. A secondary analysis of the 2002 National Youth Tobacco Survey was conducted. A subsample of 1,958 current smokers was used in the analysis to measure the impact of SHS on addictive symptoms as well as quit attempts and the length of the last quit attempt. A linear regression model showed that SHS (Standardized B = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.63, 0.96) had the third largest impact on the level of addiction after cigarettes smoked per day (Standardized B = 0.37; 95% CI: 2.59, 3.29) and quit self-efficacy (Standardized B = 0.29; 95% CI: 6.08, 8.21). SHS predicted the number of quit attempts but not the length of the quit attempt. For each point increase in SHS exposure during the past week, teens were 5% less likely to make a quit attempt (95% CI: 0.90, 0.99). Adolescents reporting mild addictive symptoms were over 17 times more likely to quit for over a week compared to adolescents with severe addictive symptoms (95% CI 9.62, 31.74). Adolescents with smoking in the home were almost 40% less likely to quit for over a week compared to those who reported no smoking in the home (OR 0.63, CI 0.45, 0.88). Youth tobacco cessation interventions need to focus on eliminating SHS exposure in the adolescent's environment in order to break the addiction to tobacco and facilitate more successful quit attempts.
My Research