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This study evaluated a computerized intervention designed to assist high school-aged smokers to consider not smoking and move forward in the "Stages of Change." A pretest-posttest pilot was conducted with 121 high school students who completed self-reported questionnaires that provided information about smoking history and exposure, smoking dependence, stage of change, and social support. Following baseline assessment, the experimental group (n = 61) completed four, 30-minute computerized sessions known as the Computerized Adolescent Smoking Cessation Program (CASCP). Immediately following completion of the program and 1 month later, the experimental subjects were reassessed. Control subjects completed baseline assessment and were reassessed 4 to 5 weeks later.
CASCP increased the number of quit attempts. At 1 month after the intervention, 20% of the experimental group quit smoking. Of those subjects who did not quit smoking, nicotine dependence and the number of cigarettes smoked daily decreased, which decreased their nicotine dependence. Overall, there was a forward movement in the experimental group's stage of change.
CASCP was found to be an effective and inexpensive intervention that motivates adolescent smokers to consider smoking cessation, move forward in the stage of change, and decrease nicotine dependence.
Tobacco use is a pediatric epidemic with 90% of all smokers initiating and continuing to smoke before the age of 21 years (Mowery, Brick, & Farrelly, 2000). According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22% of high school students and 10% of middle school children smoke (CDC, 2004). Although this rate reflects a 40% 10-year decline in smoking rates among high school students, it is still estimated that each year 757,000 children under 18 will become regular smokers (CDC, 2003).
Tobacco use was responsible for nearly one in five deaths during 1995- 1999, and is attributed to at least 30% of all cancer deaths (CDC, 2004). Because tobacco use is the only modifiable risk factor to developing lung cancer, a reduction in the number of adolescent smokers was identified as a national health goal in Healthy People 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001, 2002). Yet, current research indicates that if interventions continue to focus solely on smoking initiation, and not on smoking cessation, the nation will fall short of this goal (Mendez & Warner, 2000).
Much of the...