Change in smoking status among school-aged youth: impact of a smoking-awareness curriculum, attitudes, knowledge and environmental factors

The present study examined the relationships between exposure to a smoking awareness curriculum, attitudes toward and knowledge about smoking, sociodemographic and smoking exposure characteristics, and change in smoking status over three years. During this period, 4.5 per cent of the students decreased their involvement with cigarettes, 56.6 per cent reported no change, and 38.9 per cent reported an increase. Exposure to the curriculum did not bear a significant relationship to change in smoking; however, changes in peer smoking, knowledge, and parental smoking were significant predictors.