Statewide demonstration of not on tobacco: a gender-sensitive teen smoking cessation program.

This study represented the largest statewide demonstration (n = 346) of the teen smoking cessation program Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) to date and one of the few systematically controlled teen smoking cessation trials reported in the literature. Results showed that N-O-T female teens were 4 times more likely to quit smoking almost 6 months after the program ended than female teens who received a brief intervention (BI). The quit rate for the N-O-T female groups was significantly higher than that for female brief intervention comparison groups. The study demonstrated that 2 times more N-O-T than BI teens quit smoking overall. Differences in the biochemically validated quit rate between the N-O-T groups and the brief intervention groups overall and for male participants were not statistically different, however. Furthermore, findings showed that N-O-T was more effective than the brief intervention in assisting youth with cigarette reduction. There was a significant difference in the reduction rate between the N-O-T and the BI groups on weekdays and weekends 6 months after the program ended. Overall, approximately 84% of N-O-T teens either quit or reduced smoking, compared with approximately 55% of BI teens. This study is 1 phase of an ongoing multiphase evaluation of N-O-T. This study resulted in several important findings that will help guide future teen cessation studies and tobacco cessation efforts of school health professionals.

Coaches' attitudes toward smokeless tobacco and intentions to intervene with athletes.

Smokeless tobacco use among athletes is alarming. Most of these athletes report beginning smokeless tobacco use in middle or high school. West Virginia has significantly higher rates of smokeless tobacco use among adolescent and adult males than the general population. Since West Virginia athletes may be particularly vulnerable to smokeless tobacco use, West Virginia coaches can be critical agents in smokeless tobacco prevention and intervention. This study surveyed West Virginia middle and high school coaches' 1) attitudes toward smokeless tobacco, 2) actions toward athletes who use smokeless tobacco, 3) intentions to provide intervention for users, and 4) tobacco use history. Results indicated coaches had unfavorable attitudes toward smokeless tobacco, perceived it as a problem, and were willing to help athletes quit. These findings provide support for development of training programs for middle and high school coaches to act as smokeless tobacco intervention agents.