MS 14.00-15.30 Main sessions

SMOKING PREVENTION PROGRAMMES IN SCHOOLS

The aim of this paper is to review the school-based smoking prevention programmes that have been scientifically evaluated in the past 20 years. In the late 1970's, reviews of previously implemented information-oriented smoking prevention programmes in schools indicated that they had no effect on smoking among young people. This led to test programmes which were based on theories from behavioural science. Most of these prevention programmes have used psychological inoculation techniques and behavioural rehearsal, often conducted by peer leaders, to strengthen attitudes and skills to resist social influence toward tobacco use. There have been more than 30 studies reporting short-term and eight studies reporting long-term effects.

Immediately after the programme there have usually been 30% to 50% fewer smokers in the programme groups compared to the controls. All the eight long-term studies indicated positive short-term and four did have also long-term effect on smoking onset. School programmes seem to have long-term effects if they are associated with community or mass media component like in the Minnesota Heart Health Programme, North Karelia Youth Project or the programme in Vermont. Positive long-term results from the Life Skills Training Programme suggest that very intensive school programme itself can have long-term effects. The school programme alone seems to have only short-term effects. Results from the Stanford Five City Project indicated that a programme directed to adults only has no effect on smoking in young people. These findings provide promising evidence that the school programmes can prevent smoking especially if they are combined with an intensive community-level anti-smoking campaign for adults.

Smoke Free Europe Conference Abstracts - 19 SEP 1996

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