title: Smoking behaviour, former quit attempts and intention to quit in urban adolescents and young adults: a five-year longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine smoking behaviour, former quit attempts and intention to quit among Swiss adolescents and young adults over five year's time.
  
  
  METHODS
  five-year longitudinal study (2003, 2005 and 2008) based on a random urban community sample (N = 1345 complete cases).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected by computer-assisted telephone interviews with adolescents (16-17) and young adults (18-24). Main outcome measures included self-reported smoking behaviour, former quit attempts, smoking cessation methods and current intentions to quit smoking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adolescents were more often non-smokers and less often daily smokers when compared to young adults at baseline (χ(2)(4) = 28.68, P < .001). Their smoking behaviour increased significantly from baseline to follow-up (T = 1445.50, r = .20, P < .001) in contrast to the stable smoking behaviour in young adults (χ(2)(2) = .12, n.s.). In longitudinal analyses young adults were also more stable in their smoking status at the later measurement points. In comparison adolescents changed their smoking status more often being non-smokers at baseline and smokers later on. Independently of the age group, the majority of smokers already had previously attempted to quit (65%) or intended to give up smoking at some point (72%). However only 17% were motivated to make the quit attempt within the next 6 months. Self-quitting was the preferred method, and 25% of the self-quitters had been successful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study illustrates that different developments in smoking behaviour exist in adolescents and young adults. Our study reveals that a majority of smokers are willing to quit but often fail. Furthermore, the data indicates that for adolescents the focus should lie on primary prevention.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Gesellschaftsstrasse 49, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. monica.bachmann@ptp.unibe.ch
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Znoj
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brodbeck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult