U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Releases Final Recommendation Statement and Evidence on Primary Care Interventions for Prevention and Cessation of Tobacco Use in Children and Adolescents
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Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Yesterday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released the following recommendation statement on primary care interventions for prevention and cessation of tobacco use in children and adolescents. See below.
This recommendation addresses both the use of combustible products (including cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars) and the use of e-cigarettes.
Based on its review of the evidence, the Task Force recommends that primary care clinicians provide interventions, including education or brief counseling, to prevent school-aged children and adolescents from starting to use tobacco. This is a “B” recommendation.
The Task Force also looked at the evidence on interventions to help children and teens who are already using tobacco to quit. It found critical gaps in the evidence on how clinicians can help youth quit using tobacco. As a result, this is an “I” statement. An “I” statement means that the USPSTF found that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance and harms of the service. Until more research is available, clinicians should use their judgement about how to best help each individual and teen quit.