ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The SMART Teens Against the Risks of Tobacco Study was designed to test the feasibility and efficacy of tobacco control intervention methods for employed teens. METHODS: A randomized controlled pilot study tested the efficacy of a behavioral intervention delivered between September, 1999, and August, 2000. Baseline and final survey data were collected on 560 teens in four intervention and five control stores. RESULTS: Although smoking prevalence decreased and intention to quit increased more among teens in the intervention stores compared to those in the control stores, the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The worksite holds promise as a possible venue for tobacco prevention and cessation interventions for youth although further research is needed to increase the efficacy of interventions for this setting.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior , Employment , Smoking Cessation , Smoking Prevention , Adolescent , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Massachusetts/epidemiology , Pilot Projects , Smoking/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Worksites represent an untapped resource for reaching teens with tobacco control messages, given that 80% of teens have held at least one job by the time they graduate from high school. This paper presents formative research findings from a methods development study aimed at designing and testing a tobacco control intervention targeting working teens. Formative research included qualitative methods as well as quantitative data from a cross-sectional survey of teens employed in 10 participating grocery stores. Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, smoking rates among employed youth in this study were not higher than statewide averages and most of the teen workers were still in school, indicating that worksite interventions, at least in this setting, represent an alternative or adjunct to school-based programs, but do not necessarily capture a unique population. Employed teen tobacco use patterns and work characteristics that emerged from our formative research are presented in this paper, and may be useful in planning future worksite interventions for employed teens.
