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

BACKGROUND: Despite declining use of conventional tobacco products, youth use of non-cigarette tobacco has become prevalent; however, quitting behaviors remain largely unexplored. PURPOSE: To examine nationally representative data on quit intentions and past-year attempts to quit all tobacco use among current youth tobacco users. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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%). CONCLUSIONS: 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.

Self-reported exposure to tobacco warning labels among U.S. middle and high school students.

BACKGROUND: Warning labels on tobacco products are a means to communicate information about the negative health effects of tobacco use to current and potential users. Most tobacco use begins in early adolescence, making it particularly important to understand the degree to which warning labels reach adolescents. PURPOSE: To examine the extent to which youth report (1) seeing the current warnings on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (SLT) products in the U.S. and (2) that seeing warnings makes them think about the health risks associated with tobacco use. METHODS: Exposure to warning labels on cigarettes and SLT, as well as the degree to which adolescents report thinking about health risks in response to warnings, was examined among U.S. middle and high school students using data from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) and analyzed in 2013. RESULTS: Current data suggest that less than half of adolescents who saw a cigarette pack (46.9%) or SLT product (40.3%) reported seeing the warning label "most of the time" or "always." Among adolescents who reported seeing a warning, less than one third reported that cigarette (30.4%) or SLT (25.2%) warning labels made them think about health risks "a lot." These rates were even lower among current tobacco users (<14%). CONCLUSIONS: Current warning labels for cigarettes and SLT could be improved by implementing warnings that incorporate features that make them salient and more likely to evoke thoughts about health risks.

Youth curiosity about cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and cigars: prevalence and associations with advertising.

BACKGROUND: Curiosity about cigarettes is a reliable predictor of susceptibility to smoking and established use among youth. Related research has been limited to cigarettes, and lacks national-level estimates. Factors associated with curiosity about tobacco products, such as advertising, have been postulated but rarely tested. PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence of curiosity about cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and cigars among youth and explore the association between curiosity and self-reported tobacco advertising exposure. METHODS: Data from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a nationally representative survey of 24,658 students, were used. In 2013, estimates weighted to the national youth school population were calculated for curiosity about cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and cigars among never users of any tobacco product. Associations between tobacco advertising and curiosity were explored using multivariable regressions. RESULTS: Curiosity about cigarettes (28.8%); cigars (19.5%); and smokeless tobacco (9.7%) was found, and many youth were curious about more than one product. Exposure to point-of-sale advertising (e.g., OR=1.35, 95% CI=1.19, 1.54 for cigarette curiosity); tobacco company communications (e.g., OR=1.70, 95% CI=1.38, 2.09 for cigarette curiosity); and tobacco products, as well as viewing tobacco use in TV/movies (e.g., OR=1.37, 95% CI=1.20, 1.58 for cigarette curiosity) were associated with curiosity about each examined tobacco product. CONCLUSIONS: Despite decreasing use of tobacco products, youth remain curious about them. Curiosity is associated with various forms of tobacco advertising. These findings suggest the importance of measuring curiosity as an early warning signal for potential future tobacco use and evaluating continued efforts to limit exposure to tobacco marketing among youth.