The Problem of Adolescent Smoking

     Everyone has seen the quit smoking advertisements stating that if you use this gum or that patch quitting will be easy. However, if you know anyone who has tried to quit, or if you have experienced it first hand you know it is not that easy. While these nicotine replacements may aid in quitting some behavioral changes must also occur before the habit can be kicked. One study found that nicotine replacement therapy enhanced by the inclusion of psychological techniques and group work had a higher smoking cessation rate than nicotine replacement alone (Ward 2001).

 With teens trying to quit smoking, group support is an important factor. It is typically peer pressure that initiates teens to experiment with tobacco. If teens can find a support group of peers that are also trying to quit the success rate of cessation is likely increase. Most teens are influenced by peer pressure because of the need to fit into a group. For many, smoking provides an inlet into certain groups, it opens the door to begin talking to and fitting in with other smokers. This sense of belonging is one of the perceived benefits of smoking. One study suggests that, “Smoking cessation isn’t merely a matter of will power, rather the individual must discover new ways of replacing the rewards which the smoking habit provides” (Sequire, Chalmers 2000). If teens are able to find a new group of peers that will encourage them to stop smoking then one of the benefits of smoking is replaced by new behaviors.

Encouraging smokers to begin changing smoking related behaviors is a big obstacle for health care workers. There is a Stages of Change model based on a study by Prochaska and DiClemente. They suggest that behavioral changes occur in a cycle that can be separated into five stages. The first stage is precontemplation, when an individual is not yet thinking about changing a behavior. The second stage is contemplation, when the individual starts to evaluate the pros and cons of the behavior. The third stage is the preparation stage where the young person makes the decision to change the behavior and develops a plan of action. The fourth stage is the action stage, when the adolescent attempts the behavior change. The fifth stage is the maintenance stage when the individual tries to maintain the behavior change. An individual may cycle through theses stages several times before change is successful (Coleman-Wallace et. al 1999). Another study suggests “smokers must generate the desire to quit within themselves before any other type of assistance would benefit” (Seguire, Chalmers 2001). Programs to help smokers quit should analyze what stage in the cycle of the Stages of Change model the smoker is in and focus recommendations for behavior change accordingly.