MASS-MEDIA AND SCHOOL INTERVENTIONS FOR CIGARETTE-SMOKING PREVENTION - EFFECTS 2 YEARS AFTER COMPLETION

The long-term cigarette smoking prevention effects of mass media and s chool interventions were assessed. Adolescents in two communities rece ived both mass media and school interventions; those in two matching c ommunities received only school interventions. Surveys of 5458 student s were conducted at baseline in grades 4 through 6 and 2 years after t he 4-year interventions were completed, when students were in grades 1 0 through 12. Students exposed to the media-plus-school interventions were found to be at lower risk for weekly smoking (odds ratio = 0.62, 95% confidence interval = 0.49, 0.78) than those receiving school inte rventions only, indicating that the effects of the combined interventi ons persisted 2 years after the interventions' completion.