Youth tobacco cessation: quitting intentions and past-year quit attempts

Despite declining use of conventional tobacco products, youth use of non-cigarette tobacco has become prevalent; however, quitting behaviors remain largely unexplored.

To examine nationally representative data on quit intentions and past-year attempts to quit all tobacco use among current youth tobacco users.

In 2013, data were analyzed from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). Weighted prevalence estimates of quit intentions and past-year quit attempts for current youth tobacco users are presented.

Prevalence of quit intentions and past-year attempts to quit all tobacco use were 52.8% and 51.5%, respectively, among current youth tobacco users. Among non-mutually exclusive groups, current cigarette smokers had the highest prevalence of quit intentions (56.8%) and past-year quit attempts (52.5%), whereas current hookah users had the lowest prevalence of quit intentions (41.5%) and past-year quit attempts (43.7%). Quit intentions among black, non-Hispanics (65.0%) and Hispanics (60.4%) were significantly higher versus white, non-Hispanics (47.5%). Youth reporting parental advice against tobacco had significantly higher prevalence of quit intentions (56.7%) and past-year quit attempts (55.0%) than those not reporting parental advice. Youth who agreed all tobacco products are dangerous (58.5%) had significantly higher prevalence of quit intentions than those who disagreed (37.0%).

Continued efforts are needed to better understand youth motivation for quitting all tobacco products. Public health messaging about the dangers of all tobacco and cessation efforts should be aimed at the full range of tobacco products, not just cigarettes, and tailored to meet the needs of youth polytobacco users.