Tobacco use outcomes of adolescents treated clinically for nicotine dependence

Objective: To evaluate the tobacco use outcomes and baseline characteristic s of adolescents treated for nicotine dependence. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center, Rochester, Minn. Patients: Ninety-six adolescents (60 boys, 36 girls) receiving clinical ser vices for treatment of nicotine dependence between January 1, 1988, and Nov ember 30, 1997. Their mean age was 15.6 years (range, 11-17 years), and 91. 7% were white. Intervention: The Nicotine Dependence Center intervention involves a 45-min ute consultation with a nicotine dependence counselor. A treatment plan ind ividualized to the patient's needs is then developed. Telephone follow-up i s conducted at 6 and 12 months. As part of this study, a long-term follow-u p was conducted by telephone at a mean of 5.3 years (range, 1.6-10.6 years) following the intervention. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported 7-day point-prevalence abstinence from tobacco at 6 and 12 months, and 30-day point-prevalence tobacco abstinence at the long-term follow-up. Results: The tobacco abstinence rates were 17.7% (17/96 patients) at 6 mont hs, 7.3% (7/96 patients) at 12 months, and 11.5% (11/96 patients) at the lo ng-term follow-up. A high proportion of the sample had smoking-related medi cal morbidity and psychiatric diagnoses documented in the medical record pr ior to or at the time of the intervention. Conclusions: Adolescents utilize the medical community to seek treatment fo r nicotine dependence. The 6-month tobacco abstinence rate is higher than t he estimates of the natural history of smoking cessation in adolescents. Me dical and psychiatric diagnoses are common in this population.