"Our class does not smoke"; the Czech version of the "smoke-free class competition" programme

The "Smoke-Free Class Competition" programme stems from a theory of the consequences of cultural and social miming in the onset of smoking addiction: it initiates non-smokers' active encouragement in supporting a non-smoking environment in class groups of teenagers. The first experience with the programme (Our Class Does Not Smoke) in the Czech Republic was obtained from a set of 13 classes from 6 primary schools with 261 14-year-olds who had been acquainted with the programme rules and voluntarily agreed to abide by them.

Methodological instruction for teachers, school psychologists, pupils and parents providing motivation to various activities (discussion, craft projects, group therapy with smokers, demonstrations of ascertaining exposure and health consequences of smoking) were compiled to support the programme. The one-year programme schedule had a number of control points for assessing its immediate and long-term effect on the prevalence of smoking: (1) prior to programme onset, (2) after a half-year of intensive intervention, (3) after a further 3 months, (4) in the 12th month from programme onset.

A complete abstaining condition in the four-months of the competition period was observed by all pupils in 31% of the classes; the number of smokers dropped in other 23% classes, remained unchanged in the same number of classes and increased in the same number of classes. In the second half of the programme, 38.5% of classes dropped out of the competition; the prevalence of smoking children was identical in 15.5% and higher in 46%, in the 12th month compared to the programme onset. However, the final prevalence of regular smokers in the competition set is only at the level of one third (10.3% versus 29.7%) compared to the same age group of the Czech population.

The programme successfully swayed the smoking habits of children.