Young people and smoking: Challenges, tactics and best practice
Anne Schulthess, Head of Youth Services, QUIT, London, UK

Abstract
Since 1994, QUIT has provided dedicated youth services, which over the years have developed to meet the needs of young people in the UK.

A core element of QUIT’s youth work is dedicated to prevention, while providing practical stop smoking support to those children and young people who have already started smoking.

Quit Because aims to support young smokers to quit and to educate young people to remain smoke free through a variety of prevention and cessation measures, which we provide through funding from primary care trusts (local health authorities) and community partnerships.

A constant challenge is to provide children and young people with new information that will reduce the uptake of smoking. As a result, we explore complex themes such as weight loss, peer pressure and self-esteem. Our youth dedicated website is constantly expanding and improving, and we attempt to engage with young people using multiple forms of media and communication.

In addition to the work we do with young people, QUIT has started a network of practitioners working with young people on smoking cessation and prevention. Our first meeting was a big success and we hope to garner more support for youth smoking prevention in the coming months.