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. 2012 Jun;43(3):394-401.
doi: 10.1007/s12160-011-9330-9.

Transitions to regular smoking and nicotine dependence in the Adolescent National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-A)

Lisa Dierker  1 , Joel Swendsen, Jennifer Rose, Jianping He, Kathleen Merikangas; Tobacco Etiology Research Network (TERN)
Collaborators, Affiliations

Transitions to regular smoking and nicotine dependence in the Adolescent National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-A)

Lisa Dierker et al. Ann Behav Med. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to investigate the occurrence of nicotine dependence following the achievement of previous smoking milestones (initiation, weekly, and daily smoking).

Method: Analyses are based on data from The National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent, a nationally representative face-to-face survey of 10,123 adolescents (age 13-17) conducted between 2001 and 2004.

Results: Among adolescents who had ever smoked (36.0%), 40.7% reached weekly smoking levels and 32.8% had reached daily smoking. Approximately one in five adolescents who had ever smoked (19.6%) met criteria for nicotine dependence. An earlier age of smoking initiation, a shorter time since the onset of smoking and faster transitions among smoking milestones were independently associated with the onset of daily smoking and nicotine dependence.

Conclusions: These findings shed new light on the course of smoking and nicotine dependence during adolescence by demonstrating a rapid transition across smoking stages for those most at risk for the development of chronic and dependent use.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cumulative incidence curves of ever, weekly, daily smoking and nicotine dependence in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent (time=chronological age)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cumulative incidence curves of ever, weekly, daily smoking and nicotine dependence in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent (time=years since onset of previous smoking milestone)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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