title: Preventing tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths.
abstract: A paucity of information regarding tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youths impedes prevention programs. The aim of the present study was to conduct formative qualitative research regarding subpopulations at risk for tobacco use, protective factors, patterns of use, and approaches to prevention. This report focuses on participants' recommendations for the development of preventive intervention. Purposive sampling and maximum variation sampling were used to select 30 LGBT youths and 30 interactors for face-to-face interviews. NUD*IST6 text software was used for the indexing and thematic analysis of qualitative data, based on a grounded theory approach. All participants offered suggestions for tobacco prevention pertaining to the optimal process of prevention and cessation programs, specific strategies to promote tobacco prevention and cessation, and general strategies to foster nonsmoking. Several key themes regarding prevention emerged: LGBT youth should be involved in the design and implementation of interventions; prevention programs should support positive identity formation as well as nonsmoking; the general approach to prevention should be entertaining, supportive, and interactive; and the public might not distinguish primary prevention from cessation activities. All but one young smoker had attempted to quit at least once; but only one individual had succeeded. By way of implications, prevention programs should involve young people in enjoyable and engaging activities, address the psychosocial and cultural underpinnings of tobacco use, support healthy psychosocial development, and consider offering pharmacological smoking cessation aids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Youth and AIDS Projects, Minneapolis, MN 55403, USA. remaf001@umn.edu
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Remafedi
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Carol
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000592:standards; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014190:Transvestism / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States