The Effects of a Smoking Education Program on the Behavior, Knowledge and Attitudes of Children in Grades 4 and 6

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the short-term impact of a smoking curriculum for children in grades 4 and 6, the age just prior to which many children begin to smoke. Students in four grade 4 and four grade 6 classrooms were pre-tested concerning their knowledge about the relationship between cigarette smoking and health, their attitudes toward smoking and their current smoking behavior. Half of the classrooms from each grade were subsequently exposed to a smoking awareness program by the teacher. The remaining students were not systematically exposed to smoking education material. All children were then post-tested, using the same questionnaire that had been used in the pre-test. Grade 4 children were less likely to have tried cigarettes than grade 6 children. Although all children had negative attitudes toward smoking, grade 4 children were significantly more negative than grade 6 children. The attitudes of the experimental group tended to become less negative while the control group's attitude remained constant. The experimental group improved more in knowledge than the control group with grade 6 children making a greater gain from pre- to post-test than did the grade 4 children. The absolute gains in knowledge scores were, however, relatively small, indicating the need for further modifications in the curriculum material.