Prevention of cigarette smoking in seventh grade students

An 8-month school-based smoking prevention program tested with 1526 seventh grade students resulted in a substantial reduction in the incidence of smoking relative to a comparison population. Two curriculum elements were found to have important deterrent effects on smoking onset: (1) emphasis on immediate and primarily social consequences of smoking and (2) personalization of the course materials and mode of presentation to include relevant peer role models and active individual role playing. Thiocyanate analysis of saliva samples taken from all participants corroborated the validity of self-report measures of smoking behavior.