OVERVIEW

Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project (HSPP) is a multi-year, school-based smoking prevention program, focused on the social influences of cigarette use from grades 3 to 10. The program addresses participants' social skills and their perceptions of smoking; in high schools, cessation materials and resources are provided, as well. Experimental analysis showed that participation in the program did not impact smoking prevalence.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Third- through tenth-grade students.

The intervention began in the third grade and continued through the tenth grade, with teacher-led sessions designed to focus on skills for identifying social influences to smoke, skills for resisting these influences, and correction of exaggerated normative perceptions about smoking. Other goals included motivating students to desire to be smoke free, promoting self-confidence in refusal skills, and enlisting positive family influences. In high school, the program distributed self-help tobacco cessation materials to students, and newsletters regarding tobacco resources and current events to teachers.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Evaluated population: Third- through tenth-grade students from 40 school districts in small- to medium-sized rural and suburban communities in Washington state.

In the HSPP, school districts were randomly assigned to a social influences prevention program or usual curriculum control.  The authors state that the distributions of gender, percent minority, percent in single-parent families, and percent of parents who graduated from high school among study participants were similar to those distributions among all children in the U.S (Peterson, Kealey, Mann, Marek, & Sarason, 2000). 

Although there was wide variation in smoking patterns among the studied school districts, Peterson and colleagues (2000) found no substantial difference in smoking prevalence between the control and experimental conditions, either at 12th grade or two years after high school. This trial was quite large and quite rigorous.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

References:

Peterson, A. V., Jr., Kealey, K. A., Mann, S. L., Marek, P. M., & Sarason, I. G. (2000). Hutchinson smoking prevention project: Long-term randomized trial in school-based tobacco use prevention: Results on smoking. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 92(24), 1979-1991.

Program also discussed in the following Child Trends publication(s):

Hatcher, J. L., & Scarpa, J. (2002). Encouraging teens to adopt a safe, healthy lifestyle: A foundation for improving future adult behaviors (Research brief). Washington, DC: Child Trends.

Hatcher, J. L., & Scarpa, J. (2001). Background for community-level work on physical health and safety in adolescence: Reviewing the literature on contributing factors. Washington, DC: Child Trends.

SUMMARY & CATEGORIZATION

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 3^rd- through 10^th-graders / Program age ranges in the Guide: 6-11, 12-14, 15-21

Program components: School-based, Parent/family

Measured outcomes: Behavioral problems

Program information last updated 12/31/01.

© Child Trends 2003