Adapting and Implementing a School-Based "Implementation Intentions" Program Within FRESHAIR4Life to Prevent Smoking...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Adolescence is a critical period for smoking habit development, necessitating targeted prevention programs.
• Implementation Intentions (If-Then plans) show promise in smoking refusal skills but require cultural adaptation for diverse populations.
• Greece, with high tobacco consumption, lacks data on school-based adolescent smoking prevention interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To culturally adapt and outline the evaluation protocol for a school-based "Implementation Intentions" program.
• To reduce tobacco use susceptibility among Greek adolescents aged 13-16.
• To assess the intervention's Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) in a Greek school setting.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach with pre- and post-intervention design in six Greek secondary schools.
• Involves Master Trainers, teachers, and approximately 480 students.
• Utilizes a five-phase protocol including training, co-creation, intervention delivery, and data collection via surveys, logs, observations, and interviews.

Main Results:

• Data collection includes quantitative (surveys, logs) and qualitative (interviews, focus groups) measures.
• Quantitative data analysis involves descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and multiple linear regression.
• Qualitative data analysis employs thematic analysis.

Conclusions:

• The protocol aims to empower adolescents to make healthy choices regarding smoking.
• Expected outcomes include context-specific interventions and support for policy changes to decrease adolescent smoking in Greece.
• Findings may inform similar interventions in other countries with high tobacco consumption rates.