Early Adolescents and Anti-Tobacco Messages from School, Community, Media, Physicians, and Parents

ABSTRACT

To examine cumulative impact of anti-smoking messages, 300+ sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at three southern, private schools completed the Youth Tobacco Survey during both fall and spring, 2001–2002. One school had tobacco lessons plus health-promotion teams, the other tobacco lessons, and the third classes as usual. In attitudes and intentions, students were not different across schools, or from fall to spring. Sixth graders endorsed healthier attitudes than seventh and eighth graders, despite equal anti-tobacco messages. Multi-dimensional tobacco prevention activities may not last from fall to spring, and may need to especially target seventh and eighth graders.

KEYWORDS:

• Tobacco
• adolescents
• anti-smoking