This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Bowles, H. Articles by Sage, R. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Helping teenagers stop smoking: Comparative observations across youth settings in Cardiff

Youth Health Development Officer, Smoke Free Cardiff

Alison Maher

Youth Health Development Officer, Smoke Free Cardiff, alibye25{at}yahoo.co.uk

Robert Sage

Health Promotion Specialist and Project Manager, Smoke Free Cardiff

Objective This paper presents comparative observations between schools/colleges, youth centres, and specialist youth provision, in relation to delivery of the 2tuff2puff six-week smoking cessation and awareness programme to young people in Cardiff.

Design A six-week smoking cessation programme was delivered to 12—23 year olds in various youth venues, using weekly records of attendance and compulsory questionnaires delivered by the group facilitator at week one and week six.

Setting Twenty-two groups were delivered in 14 youth settings across Cardiff. These settings were categorized into three types: schools/ colleges; youth centres; and specialist youth provisions.

Method Data collected from 179 young people at week one and 84 young people at week six were used to measure changes in weekly smoking behaviour, weekly expenditure on cigarettes, knowledge about smoking and smoking cessation, attitudes toward smoking, motivation to quit/ cut down, and attrition. These were compared across the three different setting types. Youth Health Development Officers rated the three setting types on five factors (ease of access/communication with venue; suitability for sessions/acceptability to young people; supportiveness of environment for making a quit attempt; recruitment of young people; and data collection and evaluation) to reflect their practical experiences of delivering the six-week smoking cessation programme across the different youth settings.

Results Schools/colleges and specialist youth provision had the highest levels of attendance, and positive change in attitude toward quitting was greatest in specialist youth settings (79 per cent of attendees were more determined to quit).

Conclusion Overall, when both practical delivery issues and young peoples' outcome measures were considered, specialist youth provisions were the most effective settings for delivery of this programme. Delivery of smoking awareness as part of a wider health curriculum for groups of excluded young people is also recommended.

Key Words: adolescent • behaviour change • settings • smoking cessation

Health Education Journal, Vol. 68, No. 2, 111-118 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0017896909103847


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?