Medical research has shown that smoking cessation is beneficial in terms of reducing the subsequent risk of lung cancer even where people stop smoking when well into middle age and, in recent years, the government has identified smoking cessation as one of the key mechanisms for reducing tobacco consumption in the UK. The focus of attention has been on adults who express a wish to stop smoking. So far as young people are concerned, in particular those under 16, the emphasis has remained on trying to prevent them from starting the habit rather then helping them to stop. Yet, there is evidence to suggest that a significant proportion of young smokers (aged 16 and under) would like to stop smoking, and that many do stop smoking of their own volition. This article makes the case for research into young smokers' motives for wanting to stop, and their experiences of the process of trying to give up smoking. Such motives and experiences are worthy of study in detail, not least because of the implications they might have for health promotion initiatives aimed at smoking cessation among young people.
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