An Integrated Intervention to Reduce Secondhandsmoke in Children (RESPIR·NET)

Institut Català d'Oncologia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Smoking Status; Secondhand Exposure

Treatments: Behavioral: RESPIRNET Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01881607

040830

64/04 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a community essay to assess the effectiveness of a multi-level (individual, family, and school) school-based intervention to prevent the exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in a population of 1,734 schoolchildren (12-14 years old) in Terrassa (Catalonia, Spain). Schools were assigned to the intervention or the controlgroup at random. The investigators assessed SHS exposure in different settings (at school, at home, on transportation and leisure time) and tobacco consumption by means of a questionnaire before and one year after the intervention. Based on a previously evaluated intervention to prevent smoking initiation (PASE/ESFA program) the investigators designed a new intervention (the RESPIR•NET Program) including two new activities to prevent passive smoking to be applied at three levels: in the classroom (pupils), at the school (pupils, teachers, and parents), and in the family (pupils and parents).

Enrollment: 1,779 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 12 to 14 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• all schoolchildren attending the school at the day of interview

Exclusion criteria

• absence of school
• language problems with questionnaire

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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1,779 participants in 2 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Schoolchildren aged 12-13 years in the first year of Compulsory Secondary Education (Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria in the Spanish educational system) in the city of Terrassa. The CONTROL arm is formed by schoolchildren in schools that willnot receive the intervention and will continue with ongoing (usual) health education sessions.

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention at the classroom consisted of six sessions with the pupils of one hour each that were conducted by the teacher/tutor. We provided the teachers with a training session and a teachers' guide, and we gave each pupil a workbook with the activities. At the school level, the intervention consisted of four types of posters with specific messages directed to students, teachers, and parents, and the fourth poster type advertised the new smoking laws. we gave teachers and school managers the guide "Towards a Smoke-Free School" to facilitate the prevention and control of smoking (active and passive) in the school environment. Family level activities: Parents were required to complete the "My risk thermometer" activity at home with their children. Parents received a brochure with information on the risks of SHS exposure and recommendations to prevent SHS exposure, and a refrigerator magnet with the logo of the program.

Treatment:

Behavioral: RESPIRNET Program