Randomized clinical trial of an Internet-based versus brief office intervention for adolescent smoking cessation

ObjectiveEvaluation of novel treatment delivery methods, such as the Internet are notably absent from the adolescent smoking treatment literature.MethodsAdolescent smokers ages 11–18 years were randomized to a clinic-based, brief office intervention (BOI; N = 69) consisting of four individual counseling sessions; or to Stomp Out Smokes (SOS), an Internet, home-based intervention (N = 70). Adolescents in SOS had access to the SOS site for 24 weeks.ResultsThe 30-day, point-prevalence smoking abstinence rates for BOI and SOS were 12% versus 6% at week 24 and 13% versus 6% at week 36, with no significant treatment differences. Among participants who continued to smoke, SOS was associated with a significantly greater reduction in average number of days smoked than BOI (P = 0.006). The BOI was found to be feasible with high session attendance rates. SOS participants accessed the site a mean ± S.D. of 6.8 ± 7.1 days. SOS use dropped to less than one-third of participants by week 3.ConclusionAdditional research is needed to tap the potential capabilities of the Internet for adolescent smoking cessation using proactive, personalized, patient-education components.Practice implicationsAugmenting the SOS type of intervention with more structured, personal and proactive patient-education components delivered in-person or by telephone or electronic mail is recommended.