Six-month and one-year effects of project EX-4: a classroom-based smoking prevention and cessation intervention program.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the efficacy of a version of Project EX that was adapted for implementation in the classroom context (Project EX-4). This paper reports the program outcomes based on pretest, six-month, and one-year follow-up surveys.


METHODS
An 8 session classroom-based curriculum was tested with a clustered randomized controlled trial that involved a total of 1097 students in 6 program and 6 control alternative high schools. Weekly and monthly smoking was assessed at the three time points. Outcome effects were analyzed with multi-level random coefficients models.


RESULTS
Students in the program condition experienced a greater reduction in weekly smoking and monthly smoking, at 6-and-12-month follow-ups. The net change varied between -5.1% and -7.6%, comparing the program condition to the control condition.


CONCLUSIONS
The implementation of Project EX in a classroom setting produced decreases in smoking among students in the program, relative to those in the standard care control condition. It is likely that a classroom-based smoking prevention/cessation program can lead to lower overall smoking prevalence than a cessation program that is implemented in a school-based smoking cessation clinic format.
Sussman
Steve
S
Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research and Departments of Preventive Medicine and Psychology, University of Southern California, USA. ssussma@usc.edu
Miyano
James
J
Rohrbach
Louise Ann
LA
Dent
Clyde W
CW
Sun
Ping
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012574:Schools; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome