The Smokefree Class Competition What is it about?

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Oliver Hall
5 years ago
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The Smokefree Class Competition What is it about? a universal smoking prevention programme for pupils aged 11-14 years.

2 The Smokefree Class Competition What is it about? a universal smoking prevention programme for pupils aged years. The main aims are to delay or prevent the onset of smoking to motivate adolescents already experimenting with smoking to stop to engage adolescents in creative activities related to the subject non-smoking to help to de-normalise youth smoking in Europe.

SFC is conceptualised for schools. Classes decide to be smokefree for the duration of up to ix months. Successful classes can win attractive prizes.

3 SFC is conceptualised for schools. Classes decide to be smokefree for the duration of up to ix months. Successful classes can win attractive prizes. The concept and materials can be easily integrates in many different subject in schools. It is not time-consuming, yet it can offer a perfect platform to deal with smoking related issues on more in depth basis if schools like to do so. SFC can be integrated into wider action plans for tobacco control.

how it all began The idea for the competition is from Finland, where the competition is carried out annually since 1989. 1997 a group of dedicated tobacco advocates met in Helsinki learnt about SFC.

4 how it all began The idea for the competition is from Finland, where the competition is carried out annually since a group of dedicated tobacco advocates met in Helsinki learnt about SFC. They established a network and decided to adopt this idea for other European countries. The next step was to submit a proposal to the European Commission including seven Member Countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Wales.

5 In February 1998 the first round of the Smokefree Class Competition started. The positive reaction of teachers and pupils encourages the European Network to expand the project to other countries. Until 2005, the Smokefree Class Competition was part of the ENYPAT Framework project (European Network on Young People and Tobacco).

6 and where are we up to now? After more than a decade, SFC has become an integral part of the school curricula in many countries.

7 Concept & Background Early onset of smoking is one of the most important predictors for later smoking. There is also positive correlation between smoking and the experimentation with other psychoactive substances. Studies show that young smokers often fail to stop smoking. The conclusions for the approach of SFC are: a) primary prevention measures of smoking should begin before the majority of young people starts to experiment with smoking, b) a first goal should be the delay or prevention of smoking initiation, c) a second goal should be the prevention of the transmission from experimental to regular smoker.

There are many smoking prevention programmes based on the information and fear arousal approach addressing the long-term negative consequences on smoking.

8 There are many smoking prevention programmes based on the information and fear arousal approach addressing the long-term negative consequences on smoking. However, these programmes show only limited effects on actual behaviour and attitudes in young people. In contrast to the traditional approaches, the theoretical foundation of SFC is the social learning and the denormalisation of smoking, two of the most influential approaches in modern prevention work.

9 All countries agree on a basic set of rules for the project implementation: Classes decide to be a non-smoking class for a period of six months. Pupils sign a class contract and an individual contract promising not to smoke during the competition. The contracts serve to underline their commitment. The responsibility for the control of smoking lies mainly with the pupils themselves: pupils monitor their smoking status and report regularly whether they have smoked or not. Classes which refrain from smoking for that period of time are rewarded. They participate in a national prize draw, in which they can win a number of attractive prizes.

10 The materials A number of participating countries develop teachers and/or pupils' brochures Some countries produce parents brochures Newsletters serve to inform classes on activities that could be carried out during the competition The addresses of the participating classes in the different countries are put on the Internet ( so that pupils can get in touch with classes in other countries. Due to the diversity of participating countries, details regarding rules and materials are tailored to the different needs and cultural circumstances in the various countries.

11 Highlights

12 Youth Conferences Berlin 2000 & Munich 2002

13 and now: Smokefree Class Competition Network

14 Partners in the Network

ENYPAT European Network on Young People and Tobacco Final Report

ENYPAT European Network on Young People and Tobacco Final Report Grant agreement no SPC.2002412 Background ENYPAT is based at the National Public Health Institute (KTL) in Finland. ENYPAT is supported