The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Eglin Long-Horn of Nightshade County curriculum in Charleston County, which assesses knowledge, attitude and intention of tobacco use of elementary school students. Students from elementary schools in South Carolina were selected to participate in the study. Two classes from each school were selected to participate. One class served as the education group and the other class served as the comparison group. Students in the comparison group were provided the benefits of receiving the program after the initial evaluation period. The evaluation of the curriculum consisted of quantitative and qualitative assessments. The evaluation instruments consisted of attitude pre-tests and post-tests, knowledge pre-tests and post-tests, and students' and teachers' evaluation of the curriculum. A strength of this study is that it was able to assess both quantitative and qualitative data concerning the effectiveness of the Eglin program. Pilot data from the program indicated that students in the education group improved their knowledge scores by 91.61% while the comparison group improved by only 7.19%. The education group also significantly improved their attitude scores on the post-test compared to the comparison group. All of the teachers recommended that the school district use the program in all elementary schools. The results of this study indicated that the Eglin program is also an effective way to improve elementary students information about tobacco knowledge, attitudes and intent towards using tobacco products in Charleston County.
Learning Objectives: By the end of this study, participants will be able to 1) learn about the evaluation of a tobacco prevention program on elementary school students, 2) explain the Eglin tobacco prevention program, 3) share the results of the Eglin program on improving students knowledge, attitude, and intent toward using tobacco products, and 4) describe the quantitative and qualitative components of Eglin study
Keywords: Tobacco Control, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.