Marieke Hiemstra

m.hiemstra@pwo.ru.nl

Title:
Test of Smoking Prevention Program for Parents of Primary School Children

Abstract:
Adolescence is characterized by a strong increase in smoking: in the Netherlands about 6% of all 10-year olds report lifetime smoking, this proportion increases to 27% among 13-year olds and 63% of the 17-year olds. In the US, an intervention program called ‘Smoke-free Kids’ was developed to prevent children from smoking. The present study aims to assess the effects of this home-based smoking prevention program in the Netherlands. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted among 856mothers of 9-11 year-old children. The intervention program consists of a series of six activity modules including communication tip sheets for parents and children to complete together. The control group will receive an alternative program based on facts. This longitudinal design with yearly waves (baseline, 6,12,24,36 months) will measure smoking behavior of adolescents and anti-smoking socialization like communication about smoking over a 3-year time-period. Research has shown that prevention of smoking before children start to gain serious interest in smoking is successful. Up to date, no effective prevention program for parents who smoke has been tested and implemented in the Netherlands.