|
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Young smokers who want to quit may not be reaching for the right help.
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago report almost half of young adult smokers have tried to quit in the past year, but they are much less likely to take advantage of smoking cessation products that can double their chances of quitting.
Text Continues Below
The study compared smokers ages 18 to 24 to those ages 25 and older. It shows only 17 percent of young adults used approved drugs such as nicotine gum, nicotine patches or bupropion in their most recent attempt to quit, while 32 percent of adult smokers had. Both groups said the most common form of stop-smoking treatment was support from friends and family.
"Receiving advice from health care providers, having higher educational attainment, and having health insurance that might cover the cost of treatment are associated with using proven treatments," lead author Susan Curry, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago, was quoted as saying. "However, young adults are less likely to have health insurance, less likely to go to the doctor, and when they do go to the doctor, they are much less likely to be asked about their smoking and to be advised to quit."
Previous research has found younger smokers tend to have misconceptions about treatment such as incorrectly thinking nicotine replacement therapy is dangerous or that nicotine causes cancer.
Curry says it may be necessary to correct those misconceptions and to address smoking and cessation treatments during health care visits.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, published online June 28, 2007
|
.gif)
