Class smoke-free pledge impacts on nicotine dependence in male adolescents: A cluster randomized controlled trial

摘要

Background: To test the effectiveness of a school-based, peer-led smoking and asthma education program, known as the Triple A (Adolescent Asthma Action) in Jordan (TAJ), with an additional class smoke-free pledge strategy (TAJ-Plus) as compared to the TAJ alone on smoking-related knowledge and perception, nicotine dependence, and asthma control in male high school students in Jordan four months post-intervention. Methods: In this cluster-randomized controlled trial, four public male high schools in Irbid, Jordan were randomly assigned to receive the TAJ-Plus (n?=?215) or the TAJ (n?=?218). TAJ educators were 3rd year male undergraduate nursing students (n?=?9) who received training in a one-day workshop. These educators then trained senior students from the four schools to be Peer Leaders (n?=?53), who then taught peers in grades 7 and 8 (n?=?433). The Peer Leaders in the TAJ-Plus schools implemented the smoke-free pledge within the 7th and 8th graders, who voluntarily signed the pledge for four months. Data were collected from students in grades 7 and 8 using self-administered questionnaires at baseline and four months post-intervention. Results: Students from the TAJ-Plus group reported significant improvements in smoking-related knowledge and perception (p?