The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Although over 47 million people in the U.S. smoke, we know that those who have not started smoking by age 21 are likely never to smoke. However, currently 30% of all adolescents smoke and many of those had their first cigarette at the age of 13. Clearly, we need successful, replicable, and affordable tobacco prevention programs.

Methods: While serving as an expert witness for the Department of Justice (U.S. vs. Philip Morris et al.), Dr. Biglan conducted a thorough analysis of the marketing practices of the major tobacco companies. It became apparent that, by using research into human behavior, and in particular, into adolescence behavior, the tobacco companies created advertisements to appeal to the most basic psychological needs of adolescents. This presentation will include the role of adolescent psychological needs in motivating tobacco use and will review existing evidence about prevention based on that evidence. The talk will encompass school-based curricula, interventions directed at parents, comprehensive community interventions, efforts focusing on aggressive social behavior of children, and other types of interventions.

Results: We will present recent data from an evaluation of Oregon's Tobacco Prevention and Education Program and will make recommendations for the next steps in strengthening research and practice relevant to preventing adolescent tobacco use.