The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: The peer education project aims to promote better health among young people. It provides high schools in the Veneto region, Italy with a group of peer educators active in promoting tobacco free schools. It trains peers in various interactive techniques to enable them to conduct interventions in younger classes and to increase their knowledge, attitudes and ability in facing the tobacco issue.

Methods: The project was experimented in the school years 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 in collaboration with the Local Health Services and the Italian Cancer League. Health workers learnt by doing how to carry out a Peer education project in tobacco prevention. They learnt to identify as Peer Educators (PE) 3rd year students (16 years) and train them in various interactive methods and techniques. Peers decided to carry out interventions in pairs in classes and organise school events. An evaluation plan was developed to monitor process and outcomes using questionnaires, focus groups and diaries.

Results: 38 health educators from 11 Health Services were formed in 2 training courses. The project was experimented in 16 schools where 291 PE were trained who carried out 227 interventions first as a rehearsal in their own classes and then in 1st and 2nd years and 13 school events. The experimentation has enabled to develop a model of PE intervention divided in 10 phases and to identify various instruments for evaluation. Data is available to show increase in knowledge, attitudes and ability among the peers regarding tobacco and in using the various techniques.