Randomized trials on consider this, a tailored, internet-delivered smoking prevention program for adolescents

Health Educ Behav. 2008 Apr;35(2):260-81. doi: 10.1177/1090198106288982. Epub 2006 Nov 17.

Abstract

The Internet may be an effective medium for delivering smoking prevention to children. Consider This, an Internet-based program, was hypothesized to reduce expectations concerning smoking and smoking prevalence. Group-randomized pretest-posttest controlled trials were conducted in Australia (n = 2,077) and the United States (n = 1,234) in schools containing Grades 6 through 9. Australian children using Consider This reported reduced 30-day smoking prevalence. This reduction was mediated by decreased subjective norms. The amount of program exposure was low in many classes, but program use displayed a dose-response relationship with reduced smoking prevalence. American children only reported lower expectations for smoking in the future. Intervening to prevent smoking is a challenge, and this data suggest small benefits from an Internet-based program that are unlikely to be of practical significance unless increased by improved implementation. Implementation remains the major challenge to delivering interventions via the Internet, both for health educators and researchers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Australia
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Culture
  • Female
  • Health Education / methods*
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Humans
  • Internet*
  • Male
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Program Evaluation
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Smoking / epidemiology
  • Smoking / psychology
  • Smoking Prevention*
  • United States