Summary of recommendations on interventions (behavioural and pharmacologic) for the prevention and treatment of tobacco smoking among children and youth from Canada and elsewhere
| Organization | Recommendation | |
|---|---|---|
| Prevention of tobacco smoking | Treatment of tobacco smoking | |
| Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care (current) | Ask about tobacco use and offer brief information and advice, as appropriate, during primary care visits to prevent tobacco smoking among children and youth (age 5–18 yr). | Ask about tobacco use and offer brief information and advice, as appropriate, during primary care visits to treat tobacco smoking among children and youth (age 5–18 yr). |
| Canadian Paediatric Society (2016) (23), (24) | Ask children, youth and families about tobacco use and exposure and provide age-appropriate information and counselling to prevent initiation as part of routine health care. | Offer counselling for smoking cessation. Stay aware of research on pharmaceutical cessation interventions for teens and adults and prescribe effective medications as indicated, in combination with counselling. |
| US Preventive Services Task Force (2013) (25) | Provide interventions, including education or brief counselling, to prevent initiation of tobacco use in school-aged children and adolescents. | Recommendations were not made for or against treatment. |
| Canadian Action Network for the Advancement, Dissemination and Adoption of Practice-informed Tobacco Treatment (CAN-ADAPTT) (2011) (26) | Obtain information about tobacco use on a regular basis. Provide counselling that supports abstinence from tobacco to children and adolescents. | Provide counselling that supports tobacco cessation among children and adolescents who use tobacco. |
| American Academy of Pediatrics (2009) (27) | Screen for tobacco use and tobacco smoke exposure. Counsel children and parents about the harms of tobacco at most visits. | Provide advice to tobacco users about cessation strategies and resources at most visits. |
| New Zealand Ministry of Health (2014) (28) | No recommendation | Ask about and document every person’s smoking status. Give brief advice to stop to every person who smokes. Strongly encourage every person who smokes to use cessation support (a combination of behavioural support and stop-smoking medicine works best) and offer to help them access it. Refer to, or provide, cessation support to everyone who accepts your offer. |
| US Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (2013) (29) | Establish tobacco use status for all patients and reassess at every opportunity. Reinforce nonusers to continue avoiding tobacco products. | Recommend ongoing cessation services to all tobacco users. |