Teens

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Teens Tobacco A Prevention/Intervention
StrategyRachel Anderson, M.Ed.Tobacco
Prevention and Control SpecialistClallam County
Health and Human Services
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Clallam Countys PerspectiveHistory of the
project

• 2000 2002, Probation Counselors at Clallam
  County Juvenile and Family Services providing day
  long Tobacco Information School

• Referrals from area schools, probation counselors

• Curriculum created by Probation Counselors

• Stages of tobacco use

• Facts about and effects of nicotine and tobacco

• Addiction cycle

• Cost of smoking

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• August 2002, Probation Counselors and Health and
  Human Services (HHS) Tobacco Prevention Control
  (TPC) staff meet to discuss alternative solutions

• Probation Counselors stretched past capacity

• Probation Counselors estimate 75 - 80 of youth
  they see are addicted and a one day session was
  not what they needed

• HHS agrees to look into possible solutions

• Fall 2002, Tobacco Prevention staff and
  Educational School District
• (ESD 114) staff meet

• Possible solutions

• Review and select curricula options

• No best and/or promising practice for youth
  cessation

• Fall 2002, Tobacco Prevention staff meets with

• Pete Peterson, Director, Juvenile and Family
  Services and Bill Knebes, Court Commissioner,
  Family Court

• Discuss court mandated cessation classes

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• Winter 2002, TPC staff contacts American Lung
  Association of Washington (ALAW)

• Selected Not On Tobacco (N.O.T.) curriculum

• School based curriculum

• Focus on youth

• Gender specific curriculum

• Group process

• Behavior change

• Analyze own smoking behavior

• Set achievable goals for change

• Monitor own progress

• Reinforce own behaviors appropriately

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• Evidence based

• 1997 - 98 WVU study of schools in West Virginia
  and Florida

• In a study of 163 teens who received N.O.T.
  curriculum, youth were 5 times more likely to
  successfully quit smoking than kids who received
  brief advise on quitting and self-help materials
  (20.8 v. 4.4, respectively biochemically
  validated quit rates).

• 1998 - 99 WVU study of schools in West Virginia
  and Florida

• In a study of 320 teens who received N.O.T.
  curriculum, the quit rate for the N.O.T. group
  was twice as high as those who received brief
  intervention.

• 1998 - 99, 10 Lung Association evaluations showed
  20 - 40 quit smoking through the N.O.T.
  curriculum.

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• March 2003, ALAW conducts N.O.T. curriculum
  training in Port Angeles

• Training attended by folks from

• Quileute Tribe (1)

• TPC (1)

• Family Planning of Clallam County (1)

• ESD 114 (6)

• Community Members (2)

• Youth not in school

• Encourage youth to attend N.O.T. at school

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Port Angeles High Schools PerspectiveWelcome to
Wallys World

• History

• Up to six years ago, Port Angeles High School
  provided discipline for tobacco violators and
  nothing more. Since that time, staff have
  continually worked with the program to improve
  services available and fine tune policies.

• Statistics

• Students referred for tobacco use.

• Students completing Alternative to Suspension.

• Students reporting decreased use of tobacco.

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• Issues with existing policies on tobacco
  violations

• Length of suspensions

• Lack of increasing consequences for subsequent
  violations

• Alternatives to Suspension is a 4-hour awareness
  class, not enough for some students

• N.O.T. is separated according to gender. With
  few referrals, it took months to make up a class

• The level of use of many students was not
  consistent with the need for a cessation program

• Not enough teeth in the policy to provide for
  those who fail to participate or who miss classes

• Need additional choices based on level of tobacco
  use rather than whether they are discipline vs.
  non-discipline referrals

• Tobacco violations were mostly students caught in
  the restrooms

• Security Officers did not issue citations for
  tobacco use

• There was no real provision for tobacco
  prevention work to be done

• No consistent place to provide groups

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• Solutions to date

• Consequences now escalating up to 60 day
  suspension for 4th offense.

• Choices for awareness versus cessation classes
  now provided.

• Classes no longer gender specific.

• Failure to participate in one of the classes
  provides results in imposition of the original
  suspension.

• Alternative to Suspension class is used to screen
  for those who need more. If needed students are
  referred to N-O-T and must complete.

• Classes are provided outside the regular class
  schedule for violators, pull out program for
  volunteers.

• Group Room is now assigned throughout the year.

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• Working through the Clallam County TPC staff, we
  were able to coordinate with

• ESD 114

• local police

• school security officers

• Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services

• PAHS Administration to provide a broad range of
  availability of services, prevention activities,
  and consequences for tobacco use

• PAHS Prevention Club Activities

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Possibilities for the Future

• Rachels ideas

• Work with Port Angeles Police Department

• Wallys ideas

• ATOD prevention education in middle and high
  schools for credit

• Support process for at risk youth to receive
  credit

• Parenting skills for 9th grade students

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Questions?Contact
Rachel Anderson, M.Ed.Tobacco Prevention and
Control SpecialistClallam County Health Human
Services223 East Fourth Street, Suite 14Port
Angeles, WA 98362phone [phone]fax
360-417-2583email randerson_at_co.clallam.wa.us
Wally Seelye, BA, CDPStudent Assistance
ProfessionalPort Angeles High School304 East
Park AvenuePort Angeles, WA 98362phone
360-565-1559E-mail wally_seelye_at_pasd.wednet.edu