dissertationThe problem of the study was to determine the extent to which an experimental smoking education risk reduction curriculum affects resistance to persuasion skills, selected decsion making skills, knowledge of the health consequences of smoking, and tobacco use including cigarette smoking among sixth grade students. Following inservice training with the experimental curriculum, 14 Salt Lake city School district teachers and 316 subjects were randomly assigned to the experimental and control group conditions. Seven teachers and 180 subjects were assigned to the experimental group and seven teachers with 136 subjects were assigned to the control group. An additional 9 teachers ans 218 subjects were selected as a nonequivalent control group. A pretest posttest control group design with the additional of a nonequivalent control group was used in the study. Experimental group teachers implemented the educational program within their sixth grade classrooms during the 1981/1982 academic school year. The experimental, control, and non equivalent control group subjects' tobacco use including cigarette smoking, knowledge of the health consequences of smoking and selected decision making and resistance to persuasion skills were pretested prior to the implementation of the curriculum and/or posttested at the completion of the 15 week instruction period. All data were analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel , McNemer, and Pearson Chi-square statistics and analysis of covariance. Analysis of the results revealed no significant group or gender differences on tobacco use including smoking behavior. Significant group differences were found on measures of knowledge, and decision making and resistance to persuasion skills. results of this study were intrepreted to mean that the experimental curriculum effectively de-emphasized the long-range health consequences of smoking in favor of the immediate health effects. The subjects' application of relevant knowledge in the decision making process as well as the ability to identify and recommend selected resistance to persuasion skills provide further evidence of the beneficial effects of the curriculum
