| Learning Objective #1: Develop an appreciation for the impact of tobacco use and environmental tobacco smoke exposure on children and adults' lives | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Understand the mechanisms of implementing a statewide initiative for tobacco prevention and cessation |
Purpose: Tobacco use remains the most modifiable cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. Tobacco addiction is considered a childhood disease with 90% of all adult smokers beginning the habit by age 21. Additionally, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure results in greater than 300,000 childhood illnesses annually in the US. The purpose of Project GIFT is to implement a statewide tobacco prevention program in selected six grade classrooms across the 19 public health districts of Georgia. Thirty registered nurses (RNs) delivered the Life Skills Training (LST)curriculum, which is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as “ a substance abuse program that works.” Method: A pre-test post-test one group design will be used to measure the following variables: tobacco knowledge, tobacco use, exposure to tobacco smoke, assertiveness competency, refusal skills for resisting peer pressure, and short and long term consequences of tobacco use. Variables to be measured for the parents/guardians are current tobacco use, knowledge of tobacco cessation strategies, number of unsuccessful and successful attempts for smoking cessation, and use of the statewide toll-free quit-line. Findings: Currently, the intervention is being implemented in 23 schools statewide (N = 471). Data analyses is planned for May-June 2003, and includes descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate methods. Logistic regression will be utilized to identify predictors of children’s tobacco use, their exposure to ETS, parents/guardians tobacco use, and their success with cessation. Conclusions/Implications: Project GIFT may make a significant impact on decreasing the pediatric epidemic of tobacco use and the likelihood of children being exposed to ETS. Additionally, a collaborative approach integrating the community and statewide partnerships may serve as a model program for globally addressing the physical, social, and financial burden that tobacco places on our country.
Funded by the State of Georgia, Department of Human Resources, Tobacco Use Prevention Section.
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