Teachers’ views of the Family Smoking Education Project

THE usefulness, acceptability and perceived effec tiveness of the Family Smoking Education Project were assessed from an analysis of 83 teachers’ rec ords of the use of the project in mixed-sex com prehensive schools in Wales and England. The project was taught by a wide range of subject specialists, and through a variety of lesson formats. The great majority considered the project to be a useful teaching aid, and one which captured the interest of pupils. Many felt that the project would probably have an impact on pupil smoking, but few believed it would reduce parental smoking. The results indicate that the project materials are a good starting point for a more comprehensive smoking education programme. However, future modifica tions to the materials might seek to make them more attractive to less able pupils, by replacing some of the more difficult concepts such as cash crops with simpler topics, language and graphics, and more practical exercises.