Counseling from a doctor could prevent young people from smoking.
A new study marks the first solid evidence that a warning from a doctor could keep youths from lighting up, NPR reported.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a recommendation for healthcare providers to "provide interventions, including education or brief counseling, to prevent their school-aged and adolescent patients from using tobacco," a Task Force bulletin reported.
"As a pediatrician, I believe that preventing tobacco use is critical in helping young people live long, healthy lives," Task Force member David Grossman, M.D., M.P.H, said.. "The good news is that we have solid evidence primary care clinicians can help their young patients be tobacco free. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
According to the Task Force, evidence suggests counseling from a doctor (either over the phone or in person), as well as educational material such as videos and literature, can keep school-age children and adolescents from smoking tobacco.
"Many of these interventions are simple, low-cost, and can be implemented in primary care," Task Force member Susan Curry, Ph.D., said. "Even very minimal educational and counseling interventions, such as mailing materials to a child's home, can help to keep children and teens from starting to smoke."
Most adult smokers started the habit in their teens, NPR reported. About eight percent of middle-schoolers and 24 percent of high school students admitted to dabbling in cigarettes.
Multiple types of interventions were shown to make a difference in students who had never smoked, including: simple conversations with a doctor, a 28 minute-long video with a viewing guide, a teen and parent two-hour group session with workbooks, and even materials mailed to the young adult's home.
There was little evidence found that these methods would help teens who already smoked to quit.
Another study found anti-tobacco advertising, high prices on cigarettes, crackdowns on underage tobacco sales, mobile apps, and quit lines also helped lower the smoking statistics in both teens and adults.
