Combustible Cigarette Smoking and Alternative Tobacco Use in a Sample of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care

Technology-Based Smoking Cessation for Youth Exiting Foster Care: A Pilot Randomized Trial

Despite high rates of cigarette use, little attention has been paid to screening and cessation services for youth in foster care. Study aims were to test the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a technology-based smoking cessation intervention. Study enrollment, satisfaction, and engagement were high in the intervention arm, where readiness to change also significantly increased over time. Intervention and control participants significantly reduced cigarette use at 6-month follow up, though groups did not differ. Technology-based interventions appear to be attractive and offer a potentially scalable link to health care that this vulnerable population may not otherwise seek.

Do Aftercare Services Take Young People's Health Behaviour into Consideration? A Retrospective Document Analysis from Finland

BACKGROUND

Health disparities among children and young people predict health disparities in adulthood and cause a long-term detrimental impact on a person's quality of life as well as increased costs to society.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to describe the health behaviour of Finnish young people (n = 600) who had left aftercare services by the end of April 2015 based on their electronic patient records.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A retrospective document analysis. Data were collected from the register by a structured worksheet designed for this study and analysed using descriptive statistical methods.

RESULTS

The entries made in the aftercare participants' records concerning their weight, sleep and rest, smoking and sexual health were insufficient. The documents contained clearly more detailed reports of their substance use. Women were affected more than men by lifestyles other than substance abuse endangering their health. An increase in the number of out-of-home care placements produces a spike in risky behaviour.

CONCLUSIONS

The young people in aftercare are in an unequal position compared to the mainstream population in the area of health promotion. Their risky behaviour is not identified or taken into consideration.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Aftercare and the related multiprofessional collaboration must be developed to prevent risks related to the young persons` health and to take these comprehensively into account.

Motivation to quit cigarettes and alternative tobacco products: prevalence and correlates among youth experiencing homelessness

Use of alternative tobacco products, as well as regular cigarettes, is widespread among unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. However, little is known about their level of motivation for quitting use of these products, factors associated with motivation to quit, or how these might vary by type of tobacco product. Unaccompanied homeless youth were sampled from 25 street and service sites in Los Angeles County (N = 469). All participants were past month tobacco users who completed a survey on their tobacco-related behaviors and cognitions, including motivation to quit, as well as background characteristics. Among self-reported users of each product, motivation to quit in the next 30 days was highest for regular cigarettes (33%), followed by e-cigarettes/vaporizers (30%), little cigars/cigarillos (25%), cigars (20%), and natural cigarettes (20%). Between 33 and 49% of youth, depending on product, were not thinking about quitting at all. Correlates of lower motivation to quit differed somewhat by product type, with the most consistent being race, more frequent use, lower perceived riskiness of the product, and using the product because of its good taste or smell. Results from this study identify a set of psychosocial and behavioral factors, some that are common across tobacco products and others that are product-specific, that may be particularly important to address in efforts to reduce tobacco use among youth experiencing homelessness. Future regulations on the sale of flavored tobacco products may also serve to increase motivation to quit in this population.