Smoking Prevention: Life Skills Training Effects on Mediating Variables |
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| Recent research suggests that the most effective smoking prevention efforts are those that attempt to change the impact of social influences, such as friends and the media, on the decision to smoke. Most of this research has been conducted with predominantly White, middle class samples. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a social resistance/competence enhancement approach to cigarette smoking prevention among a sample of seventh graders who were largely Hispanic. A total of 47 schools were randomly assigned to either receive or not receive Life Skills Training. The majority of the students who participated were urban minorities from low-income families. The aim of the prevention program was to teach students social pressure resistance skills, change beliefs about social norms regarding smoking, and to develop a variety of personal and social skills. |
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| At the posttest, students in schools that received Life Skills Training reported less smoking during the past month than did students in the control schools. The two groups did not differ in terms of smoking during the past week or past day, or for intention to smoke in the future. In contrast to the control schools, students in schools receiving the program had higher posttest knowledge regarding smoking prevalence, immediate health consequences of smoking, and social acceptability of smoking. Students of the program schools had lower normative expectations for perceived smoking among peers and among adults. The results of the evaluation suggested the program did not change students' attitudes, decision making skills, or ability to resist peer pressure or improve students' feelings of psychological well-being. Two path models were compared. In the first, the program was hypothesized to have had its effect by changing five mediating variables (perceived adult and peer norms, knowledge about actual prevalence of peer use, perceived social acceptability of smoking, and knowledge about short-term health consequences of smoking). In the second model, the program was hypothesized to deter smoking by some other means. Results indicate the first model to be correct. That is, the program worked primarily by changing perceptions about rates of smoking among peers and by altering perceptions of the acceptability of smoking among adults and peers. |
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| Providing students with information about the prevalence and acceptability of smoking among peers and adults, may serve to prevent the onset of cigarette smoking. In this study at least, changes that were observed were apparently not related to training in skills for making decisions, efforts to improve self-esteem, or training to resist overt social pressures. Smoking prevention programs can be targetted successfully at minority youths. |
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| Botvin, G.J., Dusenbury, L., Baker, E., James-Ortiz, S., Botvin, E.4M., & Kerner, J. (1992). Smoking prevention among urban minority youth: Assessing effects on outcome and mediating variables. Health Psychology, 11, 290-299. |
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| Researcher's Email Address: gjbotvin@aol.com |
| Researcher's Home Page: http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/ |
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