Efetividade de uma intervenção educacional em tabagismo entre adolescentes escolares

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program on smoking, developed by the Brazilian Cancer Institute, among adolescents from the city of Pelotas, Brazil. Out of 46 public schools in the city, 32 were sampled and randomized into the intervention or control group. In both phases of the study (pre- and post-intervention), 7th and 8th grade students responded to a questionnaire, and had a sample of urine collected for cotinine analysis. The educational intervention lasted for six months. The outcome variables were: "self-reported smoking within the previous 30 days" and "cotinine concentration in the urine (categorized into ≥10 ng/ml and ≥30 ng/ml). No effects of the intervention were observed for any of the behavioral outcomes, although knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking increased in the intervention group. In summary, the intervention was not effective to produce behavioral changes, but led to an increase in knowledge about smoking.