INTRODUCTION Tobacco use is the single greatest cause of premature morbidity and mortality in this country. This dangerous high-risk health behavior can be reduced through concentrated school-based educational inititiatives.
METHODOLOGY The first part of this study involved a survey of tobacco use in a three county area in northeastern Pennsylvania. More than 14,000 questionnaires were returned, and the results revealed that 5,411 children had experimented with cigarettes and 2,962 of those children continue to smoke today. This tobacco experimentation begins at a mean age of 11.2 years of age in northeastern Pennsylvania.
The second part of this study involved a peer tobacco education program developed and implemented in January 1998 at King's College in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. These peer educators were high school sophomores and were granted one college credit for being part of this tobacco education program. This tobacco educational program was directed at third grade students with the intent of preventing initiation of tobacco use.
The final part of this study involved a survey of tobacco use by the largest school district in the original survey.
RESULTS This study found that peer education could reduce children's use of tobacco by over twenty percent as they grow older.
DISCUSSION The results of this program suggest that concentrated tobacco education programs by older students can impact on tobacco education by younger students in school districts in this country.
Learning Objectives: Needs learning objectives
Keywords: Adolescent Health, Tobacco
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.