Phone counseling aids in battle against teen smoking

Regardless of laws restricting possession and use of tobacco products by teenagers, enforcement is another matter. Parents are left to deal with the health and safety of their children when it comes to cigarettes and chewing tobacco.

In an online report on October 12, 2009 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the results of a study indicate that teens are more likely to quit smoking if they receive telephone counseling to build their motivation and cognitive behavior skills.

Photo by AH! Photography (Flickr)

Over the course of a year, 2,000 juniors from Washington high schools participated in a telephone-counseling program. In a follow-up survey, 22% of the students reported they had stopped smoking for six months.

Update: In a twist on help for smokers, Hawaii has become the first state to raise the legal age to obtain cigarettes, including electronic cigarettes, to 21. The law goes into effect January 1, 2016. Definitely a move in the right direction.

For more about quitting, see:  “How old do I have to be to smoke?” at  http://askthejudge.info/legal-smoking-age/67/ and the resources listed therein.