"Smoking doesn't work:" a smoking prevention project for women attending a technical institute

Women attending technical institutes often enroll in training programs for occupations with traditionally high smoking rates. In contrast, more worksites are implementing smoke-free and restricted smoking policies. "Smoking Doesn't Work," a smoking prevention project targeted at young females enrolled in a technical institute in Minnesota, used employability as the central theme in schoolwide events and classroom activities. Project intervention resulted in statistically significant increases in knowledge and awareness of smoking and employability issues. While young women enrolled in the technical institute recognized the negative image and health effects of smoking, they were less aware of the relationship between smoking status and employability. A focus on employability appears to provide a salient approach to smoking prevention with technical institute students.