How Do Adolescent Smoking Prevention Interventions Work in Different Contextual Settings? A Qualitative Comparative...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Adolescent Health

Background:

• Adolescent smoking poses significant health and social risks.
• Theory-based interventions are effective for smoking prevention, but evidence on their complex mechanisms and contextual variations is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore influences on behavior change in adolescent smoking prevention interventions.
• To understand how interventions work in different settings from a theory-based perspective.

Main Methods:

• Comparative qualitative analysis of two smoking prevention interventions.
• 27 focus groups with 195 pupils (aged 11-15) in Northern Ireland and Bogotá.
• Content analysis guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Main Results:

• Similarities in knowledge, skills, and beliefs regarding smoking/vaping behavior change across settings.
• Differences in contextual resources (e.g., tobacco availability, risk information) and social influence.
• Participants perceived positive outcomes in personal skills and intention to avoid smoking/vaping.

Conclusions:

• Individual factors and contextual resources significantly impact smoking prevention behavior change.
• Health behavior change interventions must integrate local context and social influences.
• Social and contextual influence strategies are recommended to reduce adolescent smoking and vaping onset.