An evaluation of a biofeedback smoking education program

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of a biofeedback smoking education program in influencing students' smoking behavior and attitudes. It included a total of 486 secondary students in suburban Boston area, 293 in experimental group and 193 in control group. The biofeedback package included a cardiotach, digital thermometer, tremor tester, and an Ecolyzer. The educational program lasted six days in each school. The questionnaire included variables taken from Horn's Smoking Model and the Health Belief Model. The completion rate for both pre-test and post-test was 84.4 per cent for experimental group and 76.9 per cent for control group. The results showed that the experimental program was effective in bringing about a significant change in smoking behavior and belief variables of health consequences of smoking, personal relevance, perceived severity, capability for cessation, and perceived salience. Discussion was made regarding the efficacy of the underlying theory of the biofeedback method as an educational aid in health education and as an innovative smoking education initiative.