Fourteen years of ‘Smokefree Class’, a school-based smoking prevention programme in Catalonia that adapts to new forms of consumption.

• Main Authors: Araceli Valverde, Josep M. Suelves, Clara Prades, Núria Hortal, Jaume Vinyals, Carmen Cabezas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Publishing 2018-06-01
• Series: Tobacco Prevention and Cessation
• Subjects: smokefree; school-based smoking prevention
• Online Access: http://www.journalssystem.com/tpc/Fourteen-years-of-Smokefree-Class-a-school-based-smoking-prevention-programme-in,90476,0,2.html

Introduction Nine out of ten smokers first tried smoking by age 18. Every year 1,200 Catalan youth aged 14 years become daily cigarette smokers. Smokefree Class was introduced in Catalonia in 2004 (after its beginning in Barcelona in 1997). Its progress is due to the collaboration of the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (ASPCAT), Ministries of Health, of Education, and of Labour, Social Affairs and Families, the Public Health Agency of Barcelona, different social entities, and the teaching teams of the educational centres. Prevent the onset of tobacco consumption and the progression to normal use among first-cycle (1st-2nd years) secondary school students in Catalonia, responding to new forms of consumption such as rolling tobacco. Material and Methods ‘Smokefree Class’ reinforces the decision of youth to stay tobacco-free with the support of all classmates and teachers. Their commitment must be maintained (at least 5 months), and participate in different educational activities that can help the whole group to obtain one of the prizes that are offered annually. Studies are developed periodically to explore new forms of consumption, behavioural determinants, beliefs that contribute to its dissemination. Results In its 14 years of implantation, the programme has brought smoking prevention to 65,537 youth, 74.5% of which (48,807 schoolchildren) have successfully completed it. A teaching guide for teachers has been developed to give guidance and facilitate participation, as well as a teaching unit on rolling tobacco, with three objectives: to improve information on rolling tobacco, to correct misleading beliefs on rolling tobacco, and to increase the perception of rolling tobacco-related risk, equating it to smoking tobacco products in general and manufactured cigarettes. Conclusions The programme maintains variable coverage levels, with a minimum of 116 participating classrooms the first year of implementation in Catalonia and a maximum of 230 during the 2008-2009 school year. The interministerial and intersectorial collaboration has been key in the maintenance of the programme. The intersectoral policies for tobacco prevention have contributed to reduce daily consumption among Catalan schoolchildren aged 14-18, from 23.0% to 2004 to 11.0% in 2014.