A new set of draft guidelines from the US Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) highlights the importance of Doctor intervention to prevent youth smoking.
Why youth smoking? “Over 90% of adults started smoking before they were 19, so that means this is a problem that starts in late childhood and early adolescence,” says Dr. David Grossman, a member of the USPSTF.
The Guidelines highlight the importance and clinically proven effectiveness of patient counseling in preventing youth from ever starting to smoke. They also stress the importance that parents play in youth tobacco use, and that parents who smoke should receive the same type of evidence based counseling for their own benefit as well as their children.
You can read more from this CNN article about the USPSTF guidelines here
The USPSTF Guidelines are currently in the DRAFT stage and are open for public comment until January 7th. You can find the guidelines here.
The North Country Tobacco Cessation Center works with healthcare providers on these exact strategies, incorporating evidence based treatments into their practices. Our latest efforts have been focused on Electronic Health Record systems and how to incorporate prompts which will help make these treatments a part of everyday practice.
Check out the tobacco section of our website for more information. Or you can always contact us directly at 518-897-5981 or hdishman@heartnetwork.org
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