Screening for adolescent smoking among primary care physicians in California.
OBJECTIVE
This study determined how often primary care physicians ask adolescents about smoking.


METHODS
We surveyed a stratified random sample of community-based, board-certified California physicians, using a mailed questionnaire.


RESULTS
Overall, physicians (n = 343; 77% response rate) screened younger adolescents for regular smoking during 71.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 67.9, 74.9) of routine physical exams and older adolescents during 84.8% (95% CI = 82.3, 87.4) of such visits. For acute-care visits, the screening rates were 24.4% (95% CI = 20.6, 28.1) for younger and 40.2% (95% CI = 36.4, 44.0) for older adolescents. Physicians asked 18.2% (95% CI = 15.2, 21.3) of younger and 35.6% (95% CI = 32.0, 39.1) of older adolescents about experimental smoking. Screening varied by specialty.


CONCLUSIONS
These data imply that physicians are missing opportunities to screen adolescents for smoking.
Franzgrote
M
M
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143, USA.
Ellen
J M
JM
Millstein
S G
SG
Irwin
C E
CE
D000293:Adolescent; D000295:Adolescent Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011897:Random Allocation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires