The School Health Curriculum Project: a study of frequency of participation to impact

In response to the increase in teenage cigarette smoking in the United States, the federal government funded an innovative school health education curriculum titled the School Health Curriculum Project. The purpose of this study was (1) to determine the cigarette smoking attitudes and behaviour of eighth-grade students who participated in the Project, and (2) to identify whether or not significant differences existed among students who participated in one or more R units of the Project. Three grade units of the Project were examined: the fifth grade lung unit, sixth grade heart unit, and seventh grade brain unit. The independent variable was the type and number of Project units received. The teenage self-test, supplemented with a number of behavioural items, was used to measure cigarette smoking attitudes and behaviours and served as the dependent variable. The analysis of variance indicated that significant mean differences did not exist between the combination of one or more units of the Project and smoking attitudes. Although those students who participated in all three units had higher mean scores on 4 of the 8 attitude scales, none were significant at the designated alpha level (.05). Based upon the findings one can see that changes in cigarette smoking attitudes and behaviour were not proportionate to intensity and frequency of the intervention. However, this does not indicate the Project was ineffective. It may be that one unit is enough to create an impact on cigarette smoking attitudes and behaviour and that successive units will help maintain that behaviour. Since the Project covers numerous health topics, future investigations of the relationship between the Project and health behaviour need to be analyzed.