Changes in youth cigarette use and intentions following implementation of a tobacco control program - Findings from the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey,1998-2000

Context Many states are developing tobacco use prevention and reduction pro grams, and current data on tobacco use behaviors and how these change over time in response to program activities are needed for program design, imple mentation, and evaluation. Objectives To assess changes in youth cigarette use and intentions followin g implementation of the Florida Pilot Program on Tobacco Control, Design, Setting, and Participants Self-administered survey conducted prior to program implementation (1998), and 1 and 2 years (1999, 2000) later amon g a sample of Florida public middle school and high school students who wer e classified as never users, experimenters, current users, and former users of cigarettes based on survey responses. Main Outcome Measures Changes in cigarette use status, intentions, and beha viors among students over a 2-year period. Results Surveys were completed by 22 540, 20978, and 23 745 students attend ing 255, 242, and 243 Florida public middle and high schools in 1998, 1999 and 2000, respectively. Response rates for the 3 survey years ranged from 8 0% to 82% and 72% to 82% for the middle school and high school surveys, res pectively. After 2 years, current cigarette use dropped from 18.5% to 11.1% (P<.001) among middle school students and from 27.4% to 22.6% (P=.01) amon g high school students. Prevalence of never use increased from 56.4% to 69. 3% (P<.001) and from 31.9% to 43.1% (P=.001) among middle school and high s chool students, respectively. Prevalence of experimenting decreased among m iddle school and high school students from 21.4% to 16.2% (P<.001) and from 32.8% to 28.2% (P<.001), respectively. Among never users, the percentage o f committed nonsmokers increased from 67.4% to 76.9% (P<.001) and from 73.7 % to 79.3% (P<.001) among middle school and high school students, respectiv ely. Among experimenters, the percentage of students who said they will not smoke again increased from 30.4% to 42.0% (P<.001) in middle school and fr om 44.4% to 51.0% (P<.001) in high school. Conclusions Progress toward reduction of youth tobacco use was observed in each of the 2 years of Florida's Pilot Program on Tobacco Control. Our resu lts suggest that a comprehensive statewide program can be effective in prev enting and reducing youth tobacco use.