Intranet-based Tobacco Prevention Program for Children

The aims of this randomized trail are as follows:

• Conduct a randomized trial to assess the effectiveness of the Tobacco Free Town (TFT) program at preventing or delaying initiation of tobacco by 7th grade, and decreasing behavioral intentions and willingness to use tobacco, as compared to the usual tobacco-prevention curriculum implemented in schools. The TFT program consists of 17 effective components delivered in eight sessions over a four-week period in 5th grade with two booster sessions delivered within a one-week period in 6th grade.
• Develop and test the effectiveness of 7 components to include in the booster sessions in 6th grade using an iterative development process including qualitative evaluation using focus and user groups, and culminating in a quantitative evaluation assessing the effectiveness of individual program components.
• Develop a program guide for teachers to accompany the program and develop parent newsletters for teachers to send home with students after each session.
• Examine change from 5th to 7th grade in the mechanisms that the TFT program is designed to target, and assess if these cognitive mechanisms serve to mediate the effects of the program on smoking outcomes.