Two-year effects of a school-based prevention programme on adolescent cigarette smoking in Guangzhou, China: a cluster randomized trial.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of adolescent smoking has been increasing rapidly in China. Theory-based smoking prevention programmes in schools may be an effective approach in preventing smoking among Chinese adolescents.


METHODS
A school-level cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 7th and 8th grade students (N = 2343) in four junior high schools in southern China during 2004-06. The theory-based, multi-level intervention was compared with the standard health curriculum. Outcome measures comprised changes in students' smoking-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviour.


RESULTS
The mean knowledge scores from baseline to the 1- and 2-year follow-ups increased more in the intervention group than in the control group, whereas there was little change in attitude scores. At the 1-year follow-up (the total sample), the interventions reduced the probability of baseline experimental smokers' escalating to regular smoker [7.9 vs 18.3%; adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.12-0.97, P = 0.043], but did not reduce the probability of baseline non-smokers' initiating smoking (7.9 vs 10.6%; adjusted OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.54-1.38, P = 0.538). At the 2-year follow-up (only 7th grade students), similar proportions of baseline non-smokers initiated smoking in the intervention group and the control group (13.5 vs 13.1%), while a possibly lower proportion of baseline experimental smokers escalated to regular smoking in the intervention group than the control group (22.6 vs 40.0%; adjusted OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.12-1.57, P = 0.199).


CONCLUSIONS
This multi-level intervention programme had a moderate effect on inhibiting the escalation from experimental to regular smoking among Chinese adolescents, but had little effect on the initiation of smoking. The programme improved adolescents' smoking-related knowledge, but did not change their attitudes towards smoking.
Wen
Xiaozhong
X
Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Chen
Weiqing
W
Gans
Kim M
KM
Colby
Suzanne M
SM
Lu
Ciyong
C
Liang
Caihua
C
Ling
Wenhua
W
D000293:Adolescent; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011322:Primary Prevention; D012107:Research Design; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention