Physician communications can affect adolescents’ smoking attitudes and behaviors

January 01, 0001

Physician communications can affect adolescents’ smoking attitudes and behaviors

Office-based discussions on smoking have been shown to have a benefit regarding getting adults to quit cigarettes. These US researchers examined whether such communication from a physician can affect adolescents’ attitudes toward smoking and actual cigarette use. They performed retrospective observational study of predominately African-American adolescents (n=5154). They measured attitudes toward smoking, knowledge about smoking, intentions to smoke, tobacco use, and quitting behaviors.

The researchers found: "Physician advice and the combination of screening and advice were associated with healthier attitudes about smoking. Physician screening and advice were also associated with a more accurate knowledge regarding tobacco-related damage. Among current smokers, recalled physician advice was also associated with reduced intentions to smoke in 5 years. Importantly, advised teens were more likely to plan to quit smoking in 6 months. Furthermore, teens who were screened by their physician reported significantly more quit attempts than those who were neither screened nor advised"

The researchers concluded: "Physician's tobacco-related interactions with adolescents seemed to positively impact their attitudes, knowledge, intentions to smoke, and quitting behaviors. Brief physician interventions have the potential to be a key intervention on a public health level through the prevention, cessation, and reduction of smoking and smoking- related disease."

Brief, office-based physician interventions may have a beneficial effect on smoking in teens.


For the full abstract, click here.

Pediatrics 127(6): e1368-e1374, June 2011 © 2011 American Academy of Pediatrics
Physician Communication Regarding Smoking and Adolescent Tobacco Use. Ashley M. Hum, Leslie A. Robinson, Ashley A. Jackson, Khatidja S. Ali.

Category: A. General/Unspecified. Keywords: smoking, cigarettes, adolescents, physician, interventions, retrospective observational study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 15 July 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.

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