The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective:

The British Columbia Institute of Technology, through the School of Health Sciences, sought to determine smoking cessation strategies for trade school students, create smoking cessation materials and programs, implement the cessation strategies, and increase the accessibility of cessation opportunities for trade school students.

Methods:

To achieve these objectives, BCIT undertook an environmental scan; developed a needs assessment framework; conducted focus groups with students; initiated a poster design contest among the student population; developed a cessation information brochure; worked with unions to develop partnerships to support prevention and cessation among members; and looked at ways to integrate tobacco prevention messages into curricula.

Results: The Environmental Scan showed that there are limited tobacco cessation activities targeting this priority population. The focus groups revealed that the majority of trade school students smoke, and that they expect to be lifelong smokers because the trade culture of their chosen vocation supports smoking. By working with the trade culture, a new supportive environment for cessation is emerging with trade school students becoming more aware of and having access to cessation resources specific to them.