A computerized smoking cessation intervention for high school smokers

Abstract

This study evaluated a computerized intervention designed to assist high school-aged smokers to consider not smoking and move forward in the "Stages of Change." A pretest-posttest pilot was conducted with 121 high school students who completed self-reported questionnaires that provided information about smoking history and exposure, smoking dependence, stage of change, and social support. Following baseline assessment, the experimental group (n = 61) completed four, 30-minute computerized sessions known as the Computerized Adolescent Smoking Cessation Program (CASCP). Immediately following completion of the program and 1 month later, the experimental subjects were reassessed. Control subjects completed baseline assessment and were reassessed 4 to 5 weeks later. CASCP increased the number of quit attempts. At 1 month after the intervention, 20% of the experimental group quit smoking. Of those subjects who did not quit smoking, nicotine dependence and the number of cigarettes smoked daily decreased, which decreased their nicotine dependence. Overall, there was a forward movement in the experimental group's stage of change. CASCP was found to be an effective and inexpensive intervention that motivates adolescent smokers to consider smoking cessation, move forward in the stage of change, and decrease nicotine dependence.