Stopping them starting: evaluation of a community-based project to discourage teenage smoking in Cardiff

Abstract

A project in Cardiff in 1994/95 aimed to delay the onset of smoking among Year 7 pupils (11-12-year-olds) through a combination of school-based education and community interventions. Pupils' intention to smoke and attitudes towards smoking were compared before and after a six-month intervention period. There was evidence that fewer young people thought that they would become smokers in those schools where there was local agency involvement, althouth the numbers of pupils smoking increased over the intervention period. The study period was insufficient to allow conclusive statements about the effects of the community initiatives to be made. This modest experiment used limited resources to encourage community-wide participation in tackling the smoking issue and requires sustaining to counter positive images of smoking. Practical examples of such community interventions to support school-based education are given.