Evaluation of a train-the-trainer program for tobacco cessation

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy education
• Tobacco cessation interventions
• Curricular innovation

Background:

• Many pharmacy faculty lacked prior formal training in treating tobacco use and dependence.
• A significant percentage had not previously taught tobacco cessation to students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate pharmacy faculty perceptions of the Rx for Change tobacco cessation program materials.
• To assess the effectiveness of a train-the-trainer program for delivering this curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A 14.5-hour, 3-day train-the-trainer program was delivered to pharmacy faculty (n=188).
• Post-training surveys measured participant characteristics and factors influencing program adoption.

Main Results:

• Faculty self-rated abilities to teach tobacco cessation significantly improved post-training (p < 0.001).
• The Rx for Change curriculum materials were perceived as highly compatible for integration.
• A majority (68.3%) were highly likely to implement the program within the next year.

Conclusions:

• The train-the-trainer program enhanced faculty's perceived ability to teach tobacco cessation content.
• The Rx for Change program is likely to be adopted by a majority of participating schools.
• The train-the-trainer model shows promise for scaling curricular innovations nationally.