Project EX--a teen smoking cessation initial study in Wuhan, China

The increasing smoking prevalence in China indicates a need for effective smoking cessation programs, yet, to our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the effects of smoking cessation programs among Chinese adolescents. A group of 46 10th-grade-level cigarette smokers from two schools in Wuhan, China, were provided with Project EX, an eight-session school-based clinic smoking cessation program developed in the United States. Efforts of translation of the Project EX curriculum, verification of translation, curriculum modification, and cultural adaptation were made to adapt the curriculum to the local culture. The 46 smokers represented 71% of all the self-reported 30-day smokers among 622 10th graders at these two schools. Only one student dropped out from the clinic program. Four-month follow-up data indicated a 10.5% 30-day quit rate and a 14.3% 7-day quit rate. The students who did not quit smoking reported a 16% reduction in daily cigarette consumption at posttest and a 33% reduction at 4-month follow-up. Use of a 2 1/2-week prebaseline-to-baseline clinic assessment indicated a clinic cohort nonassisted quit rate of 3%. These data provided evidence that Project EX can be adapted in another country, such as China; can be very well received; and can lead to promising results on cessation.