Tobacco world: evaluation of a tobacco cessation training program for third-year medical students.
BACKGROUND
Training in tobacco cessation counseling is deficient in medical schools. Tobacco World, a tobacco cessation training program, was implemented in a family medicine clerkship and subsequently evaluated.


METHODS
In the pilot year, students were assigned to either standard clerkship training (comparison group) or a group that also received Tobacco World training (intervention group). All students received intervention training in the second year of the study. A 35-item questionnaire was administered before and after the four-week clerkship to assess knowledge, attitude, and confidence regarding tobacco cessation counseling.


RESULTS
Intervention training was highly rated. Students in the intervention group from both years demonstrated significant improvements in some key measurements of knowledge, attitude, confidence, and increased frequency of tobacco cessation counseling.


CONCLUSIONS
This smoking cessation training program addresses an underrepresented area of medical school education and has the potential to translate into improved smoking cessation counseling by future physicians.
Leong
Shou Ling
SL
Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive H-154, Hershey, PA 17033-0850, USA. sleong@hmc.psu.edu
Lewis
Peter R
PR
Curry
William J
WJ
Gingrich
Dennis L
DL
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D037001:Directive Counseling; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D010819:Physician's Role; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D016540:Smoking Cessation