The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Eglin Long-Horn of Nightshade County curriculum, which assesses knowledge, attitude and intention of tobacco use of elementary school students. 4320 students from a stratified random sample of 72 schools in Florida were selected to participate in the study. Two classes from each school were selected to participate. One class served as the education group and the other class served as the comparison group. Students in the comparison group were provided the benefits of receiving the program after the initial evaluation period. The evaluation of the curriculum consisted of quantitative and qualitative assessments. The evaluation instruments consisted of attitude pre-tests and post-tests, knowledge pre-tests and post-tests, and students’ and teachers’ evaluation of the curriculum. Pilot data from the study indicate students in the education group improved their knowledge scores by 91.61% while the comparison group improved by only 7.19%. The education group also significantly improved their attitude scores on the post-test compared to the comparison group. Overall, the teachers gave a very positive response to the program. All of the teachers recommended that the school district use the program in all elementary schools. The teachers also believed that the program strengthened the attitudes of their students concerning the harmful effects of using tobacco.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this program, participants will be able to 1) learn about the evaluation of a tobacco prevention program on elementary school students, 2) Share the results of the Eglin program on improving students knowledge, attitude, and intent towards using tobacco products, and 3) Explain the quantitative and qualitative components of the study
Keywords: Tobacco, Adolescent Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.