An anti-smoking project instituted by senior nursing students in a rural community.
The Health Council of Hawkins County, Tennessee, received a State Tobacco Prevention grant to institute an anti-smoking program in the county schools. The program chosen was called TarWars and encompasses a prohealth tobacco-free program curriculum. The goal was to discourage tobacco use among the nation's youth by focusing on tobacco's short-term ill effects. Because the program encourages community involvement, nursing students from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, identified volunteers from the Hawkins County Retired Teachers Association to develop a teaching program for use in the first year of the program and as well as in subsequent years of the TarWars curriculum. A pretest and posttest were given to the students to assess the program's success. The objectives of the grant were that 80% of the students would be able to name three negative effects associated with tobacco use and three positive effects of not using tobacco. The goal was met when 91% could identify negative effects and 89% could identify three positive effects of not using tobacco.
Burchfield
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East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, USA. enaidailuj@aol.com
Marenco
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Dickens
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Willock
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KM
D002648:Child; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D006801:Humans; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012573:School Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013714:Tennessee