Long-Term Responses of Higher and Lower Risk Youths to Smoking Prevention Interventions

• Published in: Preventive medicine 1997-05, Vol.26 (3), p.389-394
• Main Authors: Flynn, Brian S., Worden, John K., Secker-Walker, Roger H., Pirie, Phyllis L., Badger, Gary J., Carpenter, Joseph H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; cigarette smoking; Confidence Intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Follow-Up Studies; health education; Health Education - methods; Health Education - standards; Health Promotion - methods; Health Promotion - standards; Health Surveys; Humans; Logistic Models; mass media; Mass Media - utilization; Montana - epidemiology; New England - epidemiology; Odds Ratio; Persuasive Communication; primary prevention; Program Evaluation; Risk Factors; School Health Services - standards; schools; Sex Factors; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking Prevention
• ISSN: 0091-7435; 1096-0260
• DOI: 10.1006/pmed.1997.0159

Background.Adolescents at risk for cigarette smoking are difficult to reach with conventional interventions but have substantial exposure to the mass media. This study is the first to show that smoking prevention messages presented through the mass media can have large and durable effects on higher risk adolescents. Methods.Students in two communities received media and school interventions beginning in grades 5–7; those in matched comparison communities received school interventions. Media interventions were targeted to higher risk youths. School surveys were conducted before and after the interventions, in grades 4–6 and grades 8–10. Two years after interventions ended, when participants were in grades 10–12, school and telephone surveys were conducted to assess smoking status. Survey participants (n= 2,860) were classified at baseline as having higher or lower risk for becoming a smoker. Results.Smoking prevalence within the higher risk sample was significantly lower for those receiving media–school interventions than for those receiving school interventions only (odds ratio = 0.71). Effects on the lower risk sample were similar in magnitude but marginally significant. Conclusions.Mass media and school interventions achieved lower smoking rates among higher risk youngsters 2 years following completion of the interventions. This strategy represents a uniquely effective method for communicating with a high-priority group.