Nicotine patches can be a great help to adults trying to wean themselves from long-term cigarette habits. A study at Stanford University looked at whether the same could work for newer addicts: teenagers.

What the researchers wanted to know: Does the nicotine patch work on kids?

What they did: The researchers recruited 211 teenagers, ages 15 to 18, from local schools. All smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day and had tried to quit at least once. During the study, the participants went to group counseling each week. Two weeks after the first session, the kids were all supposed to quit and were given nicotine patches for the next eight weeks; they were also randomly assigned to take the antidepressant bupropion or a placebo. Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is sometimes used to help adults quit smoking.

What they found: Only about a quarter of the teens had stopped smoking at the end of 10 weeks. Sixteen weeks later, more than 90 percent were smoking. The antidepressant, bupropion, made no significant difference in success at quitting. A lot of the kids didn't take their medication the way they were supposed to; the participants who went to more counseling sessions and reported using more nicotine patches were more likely to manage to quit.

What the study means to you: It's not what you'd call a booming success—but even if they couldn't quit entirely, most of the participants did cut back to just a few cigarettes a day.

Caveats: Many of the participants who had managed to quit smoking after 10 weeks didn't show up for the follow-up appointment at 26 weeks, so the long-term success might have actually been better. Also, the authors say the dose of bupropion might have been too low.

Find out more: Tips for parents on helping a teen quit smoking.

Read the article: Killen, J.D., et al. "Randomized Clinical Trial of the Efficacy of Bupropion Combined With Nicotine Patch in the Treatment of Adolescent Smokers." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. August 2004, Vol. 72, No. 4, pp. 729-735.

Article online: www.apa.org (PDF)