Reviewing the needs of unemployed youth in smoking intervention programmes

In Australia, the impact of unemployment on adolescent smoking behaviour continues to present a major public health problem. Traditional prevention programmes in both primary and secondary schools appear to be achieving a delay in the onset of smoking. However, smoking rates of young people who are unemployed are unacceptably higher than those of in-school youth. This paper provides a review of the published literature, showing that there has been little effort to address smoking patterns or experiences of quitting for this target group. While the provision of employment opportunities or skill training for this group is important, these strategies will not eliminate the problem of smoking. Steps must be taken to encourage research into the development of tailored programmes for unemployed youth who smoke. These programmes must be carefully considered and evaluated and meet the needs of this diverse group of young people.