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Tobacco use is a concern for pediatricians: 90% of adult daily smokers had their first cigarette before age 21, and children whose parents smoke suffer a variety of health-related consequences. The 2008 update of the Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence guideline from the Public Health Service makes three key recommendations for pediatricians:
Ask patients about tobacco use, and provide a strong message about the importance of abstaining from smoking.
Provide adolescent smokers with counseling interventions to help them quit.
Ask parents about tobacco use, and offer them cessation advice and assistance.
A meta-analysis of seven studies of counseling interventions in adolescent smokers demonstrated that counseling increases the odds of quitting b…