The kids aren't doing much better than us old folks

[Vocalek]

I was surprised to see how low the success rates are for smoking interventions for young folks.

This paper provides a review of the last two and a half decades of research in adolescent and young-adult tobacco use cessation. A total of 66 tobacco cessation intervention studies – targeted or population – are reviewed. In addition, an exhaustive review is completed of adolescent self-initiated tobacco use cessation, involving 17 prospective survey studies.

Average reach and retention across the intervention studies was 61% and 78%, respectively, and was higher when whole natural units were treated (e.g., classrooms), than when units created specifically for the program were treated (e.g., school-based clinics). The mean quit-rate at a three to 12-month average follow-up among the program conditions was 12%, compared to approximately 7% across control groups. A comparison of intervention theories revealed that motivation enhancement (19%) and contingency-based reinforcement (16%) programs showed higher quit-rates than the overall intervention cessation mean. Regarding modalities (channels) of change, classroom-based programs showed the highest quit rates (17%). Computer-based (expert system) programs also showed promise (13% quit-rate), as did school-based clinics (12%).

Tobacco Induced Diseases | Full text | Effects of sixty six adolescent tobacco use cessation trials and seventeen prospective studies of self-initiated quitting

My thinking is that they haven't been smoking for as many years, so quitting should be easier. Then again, I don't believe any of the above programs provided any type of medical intervention (e.g., NRT).