Adolescent Smoking: Are Infrequent and Occasional Smokers Ready to Quit?

Abstract

We examined motivation for cessation and plans to quit among 945 high school students in 2001 at three levels of smoking frequency (regular, occasional, and infrequent). Surveys were completed at six Illinois high schools. In multivariate models, females (compared to males) and white students (compared to nonwhite students) were more likely to plan to quit, but plans to quit did not differ by smoking level. In multivariate models to predict motivation for cessation, regular smokers were significantly less motivated to quit than were occasional and infrequent smokers, and occasional smokers were less motivated than infrequent smokers; demographic variables were nonsignificant. Infrequent and occasional smokers are motivated to quit and intend to quit soon, making them an attractive target for cessation programs.

Keywords:

• smoking
• cessation
• adolescents
• motivation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lindsey R. Turner

Lindsey R. Turner, Ph.D., is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Turner's broad research interests include behavioral approaches to cancer prevention, particularly focusing on modification of a variety of behavioral risk factors such as smoking, diet, and sun exposure. Her current research involves evaluation of adolescent smoking cessation programs, and assessing the individual and contextual factors that influence adolescent smoking behavior. Other current research projects are examining various factors associated with smoking cessation among women during pregnancy and the early postpartum period, and evaluating parents' attitudes and knowledge about the importance of nutrition and physical activity for young children. Dr. Turner's work focuses on risk factors that affect children and their families, with the goal of establishing lifelong healthy behaviors during the early formative years.

Cindy B. Veldhuis

Cindy B. Veldhuis, is a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also has a masters degree in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Oregon. Her clinical training has focused on issues related to gender, trauma, and personality disorders, with an emphasis on adolescent development. Recent research projects have focused on adolescent smoking behaviors, applying Pennebaker's writing paradigm to binge-eating, and understanding the long-term effects of trauma.

Robin Mermelstein

Robin Mermelstein, is Professor of Psychology, Director of the Center for Health Behavior Research, and Deputy Director of the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical and Community Psychology from the University of Oregon. Her research interests fall broadly in the area of tobacco use, with studies ranging from longitudinal examinations of the etiology of youth smoking to cessation interventions for adult smokers. Dr. Mermelstein is currently the Principal Investigator of a National Cancer Institute funded study examining the subjective and contextual factors of youth smoking and identifying predictors of who transitions from experimental smoking through to regular smoking among adolescents. She is also the Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Program Office, “Partners with Tobacco Use Research Centers: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Advancing Science and Policy Studies.” As part of this program, the RWJF has collaborated with both NCI and NIDA in funding the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers. Dr. Mermelstein also has well-established interests in adult smoking cessation. Her smoking cessation interventions include both intensive clinic-based approaches to cessation as well as more self-help, media-based programs. Dr. Mermelstein serves on several national advisory boards, including those for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's program, Addressing Tobacco in Managed Care, and one for the American Legacy Foundation.