This pilot was developed in response to a reviewer’s concern that no pilot existed to demonstrate the efficacy of a science education approach targeting smoking. The pilot was designed to test if science education can help students become more well-informed about the risks associated with light and potentially reduced-exposure products (PREP) cigarettes. The pilot study was conducted at Myers Park High School; two health education teachers graciously volunteered their classes that included 213 ninth grade students. First, a science education (SE)”mini module” was developed that will serve as the “starting material” for the module to be developed in the proposal that presents the science (biological, chemical, and math concepts) behind smoking regular, light cigarettes and PREP. The content goes beyond what is typically taught in health classes. A “control” module was developed that consisted of similar topics but little science education; the content was similar to the standard content now covered in high school health courses. The control module covered the risks of cigarettes (including lights and PREPs), but did not delve into the science behind the risks. Following the content, a series of questions were developed for students to answer concerning the risks of smoking and their opinion of the modules. The modules were created for use online in the pilot project as that was the most cost-effective approach to administer the experiment and obtain data.

During health class, the teachers accompanied their students to the computer lab. Upon login, students were assigned randomly to the science education (n = 107) or the control (n=107) module. Students worked through the module and then immediately answered the questionnaire. The pilot sessions took place over two class days, minimizing contamination from one class to another.

The results indicated that students using the science education module scored significantly better (p <.05) than students using the control or standard education module on three key measures of knowledge: 1) Correct response that “Carcinogens in cigarette smoke can cause cancer by causing mutations in the p53 gene.”(63% for SE module versus 18% for control module); 2) Correct response that “Compared to a smoker of regular cigarettes, those who smoke light or PREP cigarettes would become addicted just as easily.” (68% for SE module versus 35% for control module); 3) Correct response that “Compared to a smoker of regular cigarettes, a smoker of PREP cigarettes would have a similar risk of cancer.” (79% for SE module versus 48% for control module).

The feedback about the science education module was favorable with 67% stating that they definitely “learned something new” from the SE module as compared to 50% for the control module (p<.03). The “control” module was even more informative than the typical standard smoking prevention material. Suggestions for improving the modules were offered, with emphasis on having less text per page, without necessarily shortening the overall amount of material, and less vocabulary. Students were unanimous in their praise for the graphics.

The following grant resulted from this pilot study followed by project description:

Title: Science Education in Health Ed Class: Tobacco and Addiction
PI: Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom
Co-PIs: Isaac Lipkus, Paul Bloom

Grant #: NIDA Grant R25 DA023144
Period: 7/1/2008-6/30/2012
Current DC: $249,597

Project description:

In this project it will be determined if science education can inoculate teens against media messages about safer tobacco products and ultimately affect smoking/using behavior. A major goal is to develop a science education module for high school students in Health Education classes that presents the science behind tobacco-induced addiction and cancer. The ability of the curriculum to change attitudes and smoking behavior will be tested in a randomized-controlled intervention among 7,000 students in North Carolina. The prevention/cessation findings will be of great value to other C-StARR investigators who study various models of prevention efficacy and the role of the media. This project will benefit from C-StARR expertise in prevention research and analysis of longitudinal data collection.