School-based smoking cessation programs for adolescents: what predicts attendance?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• School-based smoking cessation programs are crucial for adolescent health.
• Understanding attendance predictors is key to program effectiveness.
• Individual and contextual factors influence teen participation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify individual and school-level predictors of attendance in a teen smoking cessation program.
• To examine factors influencing attendance throughout the program, including pre- and post-quit week.
• To inform the design and implementation of effective school-based cessation interventions.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 349 students across 29 Illinois high schools.
• Collected data on demographics, smoking history, psychosocial factors, and social environment.
• Analyzed school characteristics: low-income student percentage, group size, and program timing.

Main Results:

• Higher motivation and lower stress at baseline predicted overall attendance.
• Prior quit attempts, nicotine dependence, and positive smoking expectancies also increased attendance.
• Schools with lower percentages of low-income students and programs during the school day had higher attendance.
• Program timing and school income level predicted early attendance; these plus motivation and stress predicted later attendance.

Conclusions:

• Individual characteristics like motivation and stress are vital for program participation.
• School context, including socioeconomic factors and program scheduling, significantly impacts attendance.
• Optimizing school-based smoking cessation programs requires consideration of both individual and environmental factors.