Tobacco Use Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Tobacco use, Adolescents, Primary prevention, Program effectiveness, Parental component
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a combined parent-student program for smoking prevention in 7th graders in Berlin schools.
Detailed description
The hazardous health effects of smoking and second hand smoke are well known and published. Despite wide spread tobacco prevention campaigns and initiatives, the proportion of children and adolescents who smoke remains high, especially in Germany. Current research indicates that comprehensive strategies, especially with a parental involvement component, appear to be the most effective school-based smoking prevention programs. A popular smoking prevention program in the city of Berlin is the Karuna interactive show jumping course Still smoking or already alive? (Rauchst du noch oder lebst du schon? Mitmach - Parcours). This parcours was designed to teach facts about smoking and its health-damaging effects, its negative effects on physical appearance, to promote communication and to enhance participants' awareness of social pressure and their self-efficacy to deal with these situations. No study to date has evaluated its effectiveness in reducing smoking rates among participating students. The study aim is to test the effectiveness of an interactive combined student-parent intervention in 7th graders regarding the reduction of smoking rates among secondary school children aged 12-15 compared to no smoking prevention intervention using self-reported questionnaires. In addition, it will be tested whether the program that involves the combination of a student and a parent intervention is more effective in the reduction of smoking rates in comparison to a program without a parental intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALStudent-Intervention only group
One visit to the smoking prevention parcours offered by KARUNA e.V. (Rauchst Du noch oder lebst Du schon?) during 7th grade. The parcours takes approximately 3 hours to complete. The parcours consists of 7 interactive stations where a class of students learns about differences between smokers and non-smokers in terms of health status such as atherosclerosis prevalence, loss of smell or lung capacity and aging. Students also learn about the toxic ingredients in cigarettes. Each station includes a quiz to complete by each group of students. At the end of the parcours, a moderator will announce which group of students accumulated the most points. For more information on the contents of the parcours see http://www.karuna-prevents.de/index.php.
BEHAVIORALMulti-component Intervention
One visit to the smoking prevention parcours offered by KARUNA e.V. (Rauchst Du noch oder lebst Du schon?) + one parent night with information about smoking prevention and one informational letter by mail
BEHAVIORALControl Group
One visit to the Nutrition and Physical Activity Parcours offered by KARUNA e.V. (Kinderleicht gesund zu leben). (same set up as the smoking prevention parcours with topics around healthy nutrition and promotion of physical activity)
Sponsors
Senatsverwaltung für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung, Berlin, Germany
KARUNA prevents, Berlin, Germany
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Years to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
School Inclusion Criteria A school is eligible for the study if * it is located in Berlin * has 7th grade classes (students between 12-15 years) School
Exclusion criteria
* schools offers an extensive smoking prevention program for their students that includes parental involvement. * schools that do not agree to stop visiting the KARUNA e.V. smoking parcours (if they do) for the next two years in case of being randomized to the control group. * schools that do not agree to have a parents' night (separate or part of the typical parents' nights) where trained health coaches will introduce and discuss the topic of smoking prevention in youth in case of being randomized to the combined student-parent intervention. Student Inclusion Criteria A student is eligible for the study if * Female or male in the 7th grade * Signed written assent * Intellectual and physical ability of participant to make an informed decision about study participation * Attends one of the participating schools * Has signed approval from parent/caregiver
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of regular smokers among students at the 2 year follow-up assessment. | 2 years | The primary study outcome is the percentage of regular smokers among students at the 2 year follow-up assessment. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Students' attitudes towards smoking and smoking-related self-efficacy | 2 years | The secondary study outcomes are attitudes towards smoking and smoking-related self-efficacy. In addition, we will assess the acceptability of the program components. Other secondary outcomes include: 1. Percentage of 7th graders that started smoking during the study period. 2. Percentage of 7th graders that stopped smoking during the study period. 3. Percentage of 7th graders that are smoking less at the 2 year assessment compared to baseline assessment. 4. Percentage of 7th graders that are smoking more at the 2 year assessment compared to baseline assessment. |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Primary ContactFalk Mueller-Riemenschneider, MD
Backup ContactChristin Buerger
Outcome results
None listed