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Tobacco education: have New Zealand primary schools done their homework?
Jacqueline Walker1, Helen Darling
1Social and Behavioural Research in Cancer Group, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Objective:
To describe the content, delivery and evaluation of tobacco-related (smoke-free) education to pre-teen students and to compare this education with current best practice.
Method:
Postal survey to staff of 136 New Zealand (NZ) schools with primary-aged children.
Results:
More than 90% of schools offered some form of education about the harmful effects of tobacco use and many relied on external providers for this education.
Conclusion:
Although most schools offered some form of smoke-free education, there was a lack of rigorous program evaluation, particularly of programs provided by external agencies.
Implications:
Smoking remains a significant health problem in NZ and improving the quality of smoke-free education for pre-teen students, before most young people initiate smoking, would be a positive step towards better health.
