[Representational analysis: a means to evaluate teacher training in health education]

Research and evaluation of social representations as determinants of behaviour are fundamental components for health education and promotion programmes. The research presented in this article was funded as part of the "Europe against Cancer" programme, and follows the evolution over a five year period, of representations and behaviours of 1500 children from cities in France, Belgium, Spain, Greece, and Portugal. In each city, three different groups were followed and evaluated: Children in the first groups participated in a year-long tobacco prevention programme conducted by specially trained teachers; those in the second groups only participated in sporadic activities designed around World Tobacco Day; those in the third group did not participate in any particular tobacco prevention activities. The evaluation concentrated on analysing the changes in participants' social representations regarding tobacco and smoking related behaviour throughout the five year period. A variety of comparative analysis techniques were used to prepare, evaluate, and modify the content of the teacher training programmes in order to succeed in fulfilling one of the primary objectives of the programme--that of assisting teachers to develop educational attitudes for tobacco prevention in primary schools. The authors esteem that the type of training offered to the teachers had a marked influence on the length and type of programmes they offered to their students.