To Find a Healthy Adult, Start with a Teen
Not on Tobacco (NOT) is a proven smoking cessation program for teenagers; about 1 in 5 NOT participants report having quit by the end of the program. Building on its experience in developing NOT, the West Virginia University PRC makes recommendations to clinicians on helping youths quit smoking. The researchers summarize the data and the strategies practitioners need at their fingertips. In addition, while the American Lung Association trains facilitators to bring NOT to schools, the PRC continues research on the program—by testing the integration of a physical activity component into NOT sessions. The principles of NOT align with the goals of Million Hearts™, an initiative—spearheaded by the Department of Health and Human Services—to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next 5 years by implementing proven, effective, inexpensive interventions. Smoking cessation is one of the initiative's clinical prevention goals.
Research projects at the PRCs mentioned here and at other PRCs are yielding innovative strategies to prevent teen pregnancy, reduce teen violence, discourage underage alcohol use, improve adolescents' mental health, and build resilience in young people to respond well to adversity. By exploring multiple facets of adolescent health and development, the PRCs are showing that adolescence is not a mysterious and troubling time of life but the pathway to healthy adulthood.
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/AdolescentHealth/