Adolescent cigarette smoking: prevalence, causes, and intervention approaches

Cigarette smoking continues to be a major public health problem that specifically affects the adolescent population. This chapter discusses current prevalence rates, recent trends, and the etiology of adolescent smoking, as well as strategies for preventing or reducing it. The authors highlight the prevention approaches demonstrated to effectively influence smoking behavior, such as those that teach adolescents social resistance skills and antismoking norms alone or in combination with teaching overall personal and social skills.