Outcome of a Tobacco Use Cessation Randomized Trial with High-School Students

Abstract

This study analyzed quantitative data on tobacco use and dependency for 3,589 high-school students, qualitative data for 448 students, and outcome data for a randomized trial comparing the efficacy of two cessation interventions and a control condition for 337 students. Data were collected from 1988 through 1992 in California and Illinois as part of a larger longitudinal study. Smokeless tobacco users, but not smokers, were more likely than controls to maintain cessation for 4 months: biochemically validated cessation at 4 months was 6.5% versus 3.2% for smokers and 14.3% versus 0.0% for smokeless tobacco users. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Keywords:

• tobacco
• adolescent
• assessment
• addiction
• dependency
• cessation
• intervention