Many teens who smoke think they can't quit

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., Sept. 19 (UPI) -- West Virginia University researchers say teens believe quitting smoking is a good idea but the teens aren't fully confident they can quit.

Lead author Kimberly Horn said that in addition, teens who volunteer to get help to quit smoking are 60 percent more likely to use smokeless tobacco and more than 200 percent more likely to smoke cigars when compared with teen smokers nationally.

Horn analyzed data involving almost 6,000 teen smokers who enrolled in the Not On Tobacco program between 1998 and 2006 -- the most widely used smoking-cessation program for teens in the nation.

The study, published in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases, found the earlier a teen began smoking, the greater was his or her level of nicotine dependence. The Not On Tobacco teens weren't experimental smokers, they were moderately to highly nicotine dependent.

Almost all Not On Tobacco teens had important people in their social networks who smoke -- parents, siblings, friends and boyfriends or girlfriends.

"Interestingly, teens reported that parents were less likely to support quitting than were friends," Horn said in a statement.