Abstract
Interventions that are efficacious and appeal to youth are needed to help adolescents quit smoking. High school smokers (N=585) completed surveys about their smoking cessation preferences. When asked which of 13 quitting options they would most prefer to use, 28.2% selected quit contracts with friends, and 7.6% endorsed self-help programs. Nicotine replacement therapy, group programs and web-based programs were preferred by 4.9%, 3.9%, and 1.0% of respondents, respectively. Most students wanted proof of the intervention’s effectiveness. Confidentiality and ease of use were favourably associated with self-help and pharmacological interventions, while social support was associated with group programs. Findings suggest that self-directed interventions, offered as part of a school-wide challenge, with prizes awarded to students who quit, are attractive to youth. More research is needed to determine how to engage adolescent smokers in the quitting process.
ABRÉGÉ
Il faut des interventions efficaces et attrayantes pour les adolescents si l’on veut les aider à cesser de fumer. Des élèves fumeurs du secondaire (N=585) ont rempli des questionnaires sur leurs méthodes préférées de renoncement au tabac. Sur les 13 choix possibles, 28,2 % des élèves ont choisi les pactes de renoncement entre amis, et 7,6 %, les programmes d’auto-assistance. Les traitements de substitution de la nicotine, les programmes de groupe et les programmes accessibles sur Internet ont eu la préférence de 4,9 %, 3,9 % et 1,0 % des répondants, respectivement. La plupart des élèves voulaient des preuves de l’efficacité des interventions. La confidentialité et la facilité d’utilisation étaient associées positivement aux programmes d’auto-assistance et de pharmacologie, tandis que le soutien social était associé aux programmes de groupe. Les résultats portent à croire que les interventions auto-dirigées dans le cadre d’un défi dans toute l’école, avec des prix pour les élèves qui cessent de fumer, sont très attrayantes pour les jeunes. Il faudrait pousser la recherche pour déterminer comment enclencher chez les adolescents le désir de renoncer au tabac.
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