Intentions to quit smoking in substance-abusing teens exposed to a tobacco program

In 1993-94, fifty-five clients at an adolescent residential drug treatment facility with an innovative tobacco prevention, education and cessation program reported their tobacco attitudes, intentions, and behavior at admission and discharge. Of entering clients, 93% were current smokers and 93% felt the facility should help clients quit smoking. Clients interested in quitting increased from 61% at admission to 87% at discharge, as measured by the precontemplation/contemplation ladder of Rustin and Tate (1993). Clients who wanted to immediately quit smoking increased from 15% to 29%. Sixty-five percent of the teens studied said the tobacco-free activities were extremely helpful. At discharge, 16% of the smokers reported having quit tobacco and all four nonsmokers remained smoke-free. During the preceding year there was a naturally occurring quit rate of 1%. As a result of this work, the facility required residential clients to be nicotine-free as of July 1996.