Smoking study: Teens more likely to quit if doctor orders
04/05/05
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A new study by a Portland doctors found that teenagers are more likely to quit smoking if they are getting advice from a doctor.
The study took 37-hundred Northwest teenagers and gave them advice on how to stop smoking while they visited their doctors for a check-up.
Study participants also answered a series of questions on a computer and received tailored advice.
Doctor Jack Hollis says the study found a quit-rate of 24 percent using doctor and computer-generated interventions.
That compares to an 11 percent quit-rate among kids who received advice only at school.
The majority of people who smoke pick up the habit as teenagers.