Comprehensive
School
Programs
Boost
Smoking
Prevention
Success
Among
Oregon
Eighth
Graders
—
Press
Release
August 10, 2001 / Vol. 50 / No. 31
A
new
study
from
the
state
of
Oregon
and
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC)
shows
that
students
in
school
districts
funded
to
implement
CDC's
school
tobacco
use
prevention
guidelines
were
about
20
percent
less
likely
to
smoke
than
students
in
non-funded
schools.
The
Oregon
Health
Division
found
that
between
spring
1999
and
spring
2000,
smoking
rates
among
eighth
graders
declined
significantly
more
in
a
self-selected
sample
of
funded
schools
(from
16.6
to
13
percent)
than
in
a
comparison
group
of
non-funded
schools
(from
17
to
15.7
percent).
In
addition,
among
the
funded
schools,
the
study
found
a
strong
dose-response
effect
between
how
fully
schools
implemented
CDC’s
guidelines
and
how
much
smoking
rates
declined.
Between
1999
and
2000
rates
declined
from
14.2
to
8.2
percent
in
schools
with
the
highest
implementation
scores,
from
17.8
to
13.9
percent
in
schools
with
middle
scores,
and
from
17.1
to
15.6
percent
in
schools
with
the
lowest
scores.
Smoking
declines
in
the
lowest-scoring
schools
were
almost
equal
to
the
declines
observed
in
non-funded
schools.
"This
study
shows
that
comprehensive
school
programs
really
do
work
to
prevent
teen
smoking
and
can
be
an
effective
part
of
a
state’s
effort
to
prevent
and
reduce
tobacco
use,"
said
CDC
Director,
Dr.
Jeffrey
Koplan.
"Along
with
good,
tested
curricula,
we
need
strong
policies
that
keep
our
schools
tobacco-free,
and
the
involvement
of
parents
and
the
whole
community
are
an
important
part
of
the
package."
The
Oregon
study
adds
to
a
large
body
of
evidence
documented
in
the
2000
Surgeon
General’s
Report,
Reducing
Tobacco
Use,
that
school-based
programs,
combined
with
community
and
media-based
activities,
can
effectively
prevent
or
postpone
smoking
onset
in
20
to
40
percent
of
U.S.
adolescents.
"Unfortunately,
very
few
schools
nationwide
are
implementing
the
major
components
of
our
tobacco
use
prevention
guidelines,"
said
Lawrence
W.
Green
Dr.P.H,
acting
director
of
CDC’s
Office
on
Smoking
and
Health.
"We
hope
this
latest
study
will
motivate
more
schools
to
adopt
effective
comprehensive
programs
and
implement
them
fully,
as
they
were
designed
to
be."
CDC’s
school
guidelines
call
for
tobacco-free
school
policies,
family
involvement,
community
involvement,
tobacco
prevention
curriculum
instruction,
teacher
and
staff
training,
and
student
tobacco
use
cessation
support.
The
Oregon
study
appears
in
the
August
10
issue
of
CDC’s
Morbidity
and
Mortality
Weekly
Report.
More
information
about
CDC’s
school
health
program
activities
can
be
found
at
CDC’s
Division
of
Adolescent
and
School
Health
Web
site,
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash.
The
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention
(CDC)
protects
people's
health
and
safety
by
preventing
and
controlling
diseases
and
injuries;
enhances
health
decisions
by
providing
credible
information
on
critical
health
issues;
and
promotes
healthy
living
through
strong
partnerships
with
local,
national,
and
international
organizations.
Effectiveness of school based programs as a
component of a Statewide Tobacco Control Initiative — Oregon, 1999-2000
50(31) August 10, 2001
School-Based
Tobacco
Use
Prevention
Programs — MMWR Highlights
|
