IMPACT OF TOBACCO-FREE POLICY ON RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF ADOLESCENTS IN RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE-ABUSE TREATMENT

As residential treatment programs consider adopting smoke-free policie s, treatment providers question whether such policies interfere with p atient recruitment and retention. This study assesses the effect of a smoke-free policy on retention using a sample of 155 low-income, mainl y minority youth, randomly assigned to two long-term adolescent reside ntial programs at the New Jersey Substance Abuse Treatment Campus. One of these programs has a smoke-free policy, the other does not. Smokin g rates are high for the sample. Eighty-five percent of these adolesce nts smoke, on average half a pack daily, and 39% smoke a pack or more daily. Differential dropout rates between programs for key time period s related to tobacco withdrawal were analyzed to assess the potential effect of smoking policy on retention. Differential dropout rates at t he point of program assignment, in the first two days of residency (p= .43), and for the first two weeks of residency (p=.37) show no differe nces between programs. While analyses showed heavy smokers are more li kely than others to leave treatment early, they were likely to leave f rom either program regardless of smoking policy. As well, verbal expre ssions of dissatisfaction with smoking policy did not result in drop o uts. These results indicate that smoke-free policies have no detriment al effect on program retention.