Anti-tobacco education materials at elementary school in Taoyuan County in Taiwan

Background

In order to implant in children's mind the concepts of smoking is harmful and refusing smoke, we designed a structural anti-tobacco education materials for the pupils in Taouyan County in Taiwan.

Methods

The education materials were based on the Health Belief Model and Social Cognitive Theory. The materials were applied to the forth grade pupils, and the contents included knowledge of tobacco hazards, and attitude, skill and action to refuse tobacco. Adopted PDCA way of Deming Cycle to compile, implement, revise the materials. And then, random sampling 1080 fourth grade pupils to explore the change degree of the knowledge, attitude, behavior about tobacco control after teaching. According to the results, we revised the contents of the materials, and popularize them in 2006 to 2008.

Results

Through this teaching, the pupils' knowledge of tobacco hazards obviously improved, the behavior of buying tobacco dropped obviously, the smoking rate of experimental group had significant difference to control group, 95% of the parents agreed to promote this education. And then we expanded the population in 2006, 11916 forth grade pupils participated in.

Conclusions

The education materials might be effectiveness to change the knowledge of tobacco hazards of the forth grade pupils. In order to let fifth and sixth grade pupils implant in mind of the concepts and change the behavior continuously, we compiled the materials as three parts of continuity of grade four, five, six in 2007. 20259 pupils participated in. In 2008, we will expand the population to 52,000 pupils.