According to a new study conducted through school of Canada,Strong school smoking-prevention programs and high cigarette prices can reduce smoking among high school students.
Special consideration needed by broader environment community ,Researchers Says...
The study included more than 24,000 students in
grades 10 and 11 at 51 high schools in Canada. Researchers looked at the
schools' smoking policies and prevention and quitting programs, along
with community factors such as the price of cigarettes.
Rates of student smoking were lower at schools that had strong
tobacco-prevention programs and had higher cigarettes prices in stores
near the school. No other factors, including non-smoking policies, were
associated with student smoking rates.
The study also found that schools in communities with a higher
proportion of immigrants and with higher education levels also had lower
rates of student smoking.
The study appears online Dec. 13 and in the February print issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
"Together these findings suggest that effective school-based
approaches to reducing smoking among teens need to consider the broader
school and community environment," wrote Chris Lovato, of the School of
Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia in
Vancouver, and colleagues.
"Lessons learned from this research will be relevant for countries
developing tobacco-control programs as well as those countries now
turning their focus to other youth health issues such as physical
activity, nutrition and mental health," they concluded in a journal news
release.