Adolescent nicotine dependence and smoking cessation outcomes

The purpose of the present study was to examine adolescent nicotine dependence and its impact on smoking cessation outcomes with two treatments of varying intensity: a brief, self-help intervention and an intensive, multisession, school-based cessation curriculum called Not On Tobacco (N-O-T). A majority (80%) of adolescent smokers in this study were moderately to highly nicotine-dependent, using the Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire. Further, nicotine dependence was positively correlated with duration of smoking and number of cigarettes smoked daily (P<.05). Data showed that the more cigarettes teens smoked daily and the longer they had smoked, the more dependent they were. Some teens (20%), however, had low nicotine dependence despite years of smoking and high smoking rates. Results showed that the relationship between nicotine dependence and cessation outcomes varied by treatment intensity. The brief intervention was successful with only low-dependent smokers, whereas the intensive, multisession, N-O-T intervention was effective with smokers possessing a range of nicotine dependence, including high-dependent smokers.