Tobacco use prevention was a topic on which health teachers were most likely to have received in-service training within the last two years. One district reported that 30 staff participated. It should be noted that if there were few violations, then there would likely be few participants based on research that shows the ability of cessation programs to recruit and retain members is very low, especially for adolescents. Overall, completion rates were low. Relationships between Comprehensive School Health Prevention Education and Reductions in Student Tobacco Use.
Research shows that school health prevention education can be effective in reducing tobacco use.
The Health Protection Fund evaluation, using data from a group of Massachusetts districts in the 1996 and the 1997 school years, found significant relationships between prevention education and reductions in tobacco use. The findings from Year V are highlighted here. From 1993, the first year districts received the HPF grant money, to the 1997 school year, the fifth year that the HPF grant has been in place in Massachusetts, the following program practices were found to be significantly related to decreases in tobacco use in high school and middle school students. These findings are associations and not intended to imply cause and effect. A greater number of health education hours in the 12th grade.