Predictors of smoking cessation in U.S. adolescents

Objective: To identify factors that predict quitting among adolescent smokers. Methods: Adolescent smokers aged 12–19 years (N = 633) from the national Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey I (1989), were followed up in the Teenage Attitudes and Practices Survey II (1993). Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify the predictors of quitting. Results: A total of 15.6% of adolescent smokers had quit smoking at the follow-up survey four years later. There was no significant difference in the quit rate by age, gender, or ethnicity. Five baseline factors were identified in a multivariate analysis as significant predictors of quitting: frequency of smoking, length of past quit attempts, self-estimation of likelihood of continuing smoking, mother’s smoking status, and depressive symptoms. The more risk factors the adolescents had, the less likely they would succeed in quitting. Conclusions: Quitting smoking by adolescents is influenced by multiple biological, behavioral, and psychosocial variables. Identifying these variables can help tailor cessation programs to more effectively help adolescents quit smoking.