Mayo Clinic to Examine a Parent-Based Intervention to Help Prevent Smoking in Adolescents

Thursday, December 12, 2002

ROCHESTER, MINN. — The Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center Research Program is currently conducting a study that involves children between the ages of 10 and 15 who have never used tobacco, but have one or more biological parents who currently smoke or have smoked in the past. The purpose of this research study is to discover effective ways of preventing smoking among children who are at greater risk for future smoking. More than 2,000 adolescents begin to use tobacco every day in the United States, and more than 450,000 Americans die from smoking-related diseases each year.

By not smoking, adolescents will reduce their risk of future tobacco-related diseases, including lung cancer and heart disease. "This area of research is significant because children are at risk for smoking if one or both of their parents have smoked," says Christi Patten, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic psychologist and lead researcher of the study. "The earlier the adolescent starts smoking, the more likely he or she is to develop nicotine dependence in the future. We are looking for 10- to 15-year-old children, since these are the ages when kids are particularly vulnerable to start smoking."

Participants will be randomized to one of two groups designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a parent-child intervention on smoking initiation rates. The first group will involve self-help intervention, consisting of written materials distributed to the child and parent, focusing on the health consequences of smoking. The second group will consist of four weekly 90-minute group sessions delivered in a clinic setting. Monthly follow-up assessments conducted by telephone will begin at week five and continue for two years. Remuneration will be offered to those who participate in this study.

For more information or to participate in the study, call the Nicotine Dependence Center Research Program at 507-266-1944 or toll-free 1-800-848-7853.
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Richard D. Hurt, Jr.
507-266-2166 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

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