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Evaluation & the Health Professions, Vol. 10, No. 4, 373-393 (1987)
DOI: 10.1177/016327878701000402

The Prevention of Adolescent Smoking

A Public Health Priority

Laurel S. Harken

Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, University of Colorado, Health Science Center

The multiple increased health risks that are associated with smoking make primary prevention of the adoption of the habit by adolescents crucial. Smoking is a behavior that is fostered by environments in which peers and family members smoke and by large scale media campaigns advertising tobacco products. There are also well-defined psychological, behavioral and developmental characteristics that place adolescents at risk of experimenting with smoking. In order to foster nonsmoking, prevention programs have traditionally focused on education about the health risk of the habit. To enhance the effectiveness of these efforts, new programs have incorporated social inoculation strategies, which identify and analyze the pressures to smoke that adolescents face. They demonstrate and practice resistance techniques that enable students to withstand these pressures. In addition, general coping and social skills training have been added. These focus on problem-solving and decision-making skills, assertiveness training, relaxation techniques, and communication strategies. By preparing adolescents to deal with nonspecific problem situations, it is felt that they will be more competent and capable of resisting allforms of substance abuse. In addition, prevention programs have been reinforced by community and legislative efforts to decrease the rate of smoking in the general population.


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