Assessing skills for refusing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Public Health
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Adolescent tobacco use remains a significant public health concern.
• Effective refusal skills are crucial for preventing initiation.
• Previous refusal skills tests have limitations in assessing complex social pressures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a modified analogue skills test for assessing adolescent tobacco refusal skills.
• To determine the effectiveness of a refusal skills training program on adolescent responses to tobacco offers.
• To identify factors influencing the quality of adolescent responses to tobacco offers.

Main Methods:

• A modified analogue skills test was administered to seventh-grade students (N = 78).
• The test included subscales for smokeless tobacco, repeated offers, and group pressure, with response quality rated as good, fair, or poor.
• Participants were divided into an intervention group (refusal skills training) and a control group.

Main Results:

• Intervention subjects demonstrated significantly more "good" and fewer "poor" quality responses compared to controls.
• Repeated and group offers were associated with response quality.
• Experimental condition (training) was a significant predictor of response quality, independent of gender, ethnicity, or tobacco use.

Conclusions:

• The modified refusal skills test effectively differentiates between trained and untrained adolescents.
• Refusal skills training improves adolescent ability to resist tobacco offers, including those involving peer pressure.
• The developed assessment tool is valuable for evaluating and refining tobacco prevention programs for youth.