The effects of a three-year smoking prevention programme in secondary schools in Helsinki.
BACKGROUND
This study evaluates the effects of a 3-year smoking prevention programme in secondary schools in Helsinki. The study is part of the European Smoking prevention Framework Approach (ESFA), in which Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK participated.


METHODS
A total of 27 secondary schools in Finland participated in the programme (n = 1821). Schools were randomised into experimental (13) and control groups (14). The programme included 14 information lessons about smoking and refusal skills training. The 3-year smoking prevention programme was also integrated into the standard curriculum. The community-element of the programme included parents, parish confirmation camps and dentists. The schools in the experimental group received the prevention programme and the schools in the control group received the standard health education curriculum.


RESULTS
Among baseline never smokers (60.8%), the programme had a significant effect on the onset of weekly smoking in the experimental group [OR = 0.63 (0.45-0.90) P = 0.009] when compared with the control group. Being female, doing poorly at school, having parents and best friends who smoke and more pocket money to spend compared with others were associated with an increased likelihood of daily and weekly smoking onset. These predictors did not have an interaction effect with the experimental condition.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that a school- and community-based smoking prevention programme can prevent smoking onset among adolescents.
Vartiainen
Erkki
E
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention, National Public Health Institute, Finland. erkki.vartiainen@ktl.fi
Pennanen
Marjaana
M
Haukkala
Ari
A
Dijk
Froukje
F
Lehtovuori
Riku
R
De Vries
Hein
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires