Preventing teen smoking with virtual reality

Smoking incidence is rising among adolescents but not adults. Although many prevention programs are effective, there is room for improvement. This pilot project combined the welldocumented benefits of Life Skills Training (LST) with the unique multisensory, 3D qualities of virtual environment (VE) technology to address some of the disadvantages of traditional prevention programs. In an 8-week pilot study, 72 seventh-grade students were randomly assigned to either LST, VE, or nonintervention control groups. The VE system included goggles, synthesized speech, spatial trackers on head and hand, a hand-held controller, and a speech recognition system. Questionnaires measured participants' smoking knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. A bogus pipeline procedure was used to increase reliability of the self-report measures. Pre-exposure data showed no significant differences between groups on the questionnaire. Post-exposure data indicated improvements in attitudes in the LST and VE groups. In addition, the VE group showed more accurate information concerning peer and adult cigarette use and more likelihood of using coping and refusal skills. Usability and acceptability questionnaire data showed ease of use and learning and that participants would use VE technology frequently if it were available to them at school. These data indicated that this VE application is a promising tool for keeping teens healthy.