Smoking cessation program for high school students

The number of young teenagers and youths involved in cigar smoking has been escalating over time, and this has led to an increased incidence of preventable respiratory conditions. The mortality rate of the teens have also increased, and hence a course of action need to be taken to reverse the situation. Cessation of cigarette smoking is a way of reducing the incidence of disease associated with habit and therefore the youths, and young teenagers who are involved in this behavior and stop the smoking will live healthily. Moreover, a reduction in diseases prevalence will decrease in the rate of morbidity and mortality leading to a prolonged period of life. The number of passive smokers will reduce as well.  A decrease in the number of smokers means that the environment will be clean and that people will be inhaling fresh air. Therefore, lack of smoking is a health behavior which if practiced people will live healthily. 

Goals and Objectives

Goal: increase the number of students’ awareness and the intention to quite among fresh and youth smokers.

Process Objective 1: By May 2019, the Freedom from Smoking Team will train at least 50 fresh and youth smokers in the process of discontinuing tobacco smoking.

Process Objective 2: By May 2019, four health faculty members will reach out to 10 students in each grade in high schools and will train them on the topic of reducing youth initiation of Tobacco use.

Impact Objective 1: By May 2020, at least 20 students out of 50 students will frequently attend smoking cessation program and succeed in quitting smoking tobacco.

Impact Objective 2: By May 2020, decrease the number of high school students (grades 9 to 12) who report smoking cigarettes on one or more of the previous 30 days to 7 or more.

Program activities

It is very frustrating for a young teenager to lose their life or health because of a habit that is preventable. Smoking cessation activity will be very involving such that most of the solutions to be implemented will be student-oriented to ensure that most of them follow up and stop the habit. As highlighted earlier, students with habitual smoking behavior and a faculty member will be the members of the program that shall be held on every third Saturdays of the month in a social setting such as a park that is centrally positioned to ensure that all the students attend.   

The program will involve a health talk between qualified health faculty members and students in high school form level 9 to 12 (smokers only). Each faculty member will have to deal with a group of ten students and predispose them to the reality of things regarding dangers of smoking and benefits of being a non-smoker. The health professional will allow the students to air their views concerning tobacco and give their reasons for smoking. Therefore, it will be necessary for the faculty member to first establish trust with the students so that they can speak freely. Also, the student’s will have to be informed that the information shared is confidential and only be shared if they allow it. After the student has shared their concerns, the faculty member will have to offer realistic coping mechanism other than smoking. For instance, if the student suggests that he or has been smoking as a result of academic stress, the faculty member should advise the student to join a discussion group in a class or find someone at the same level or higher to be discussing academics with. Also, if the smoking is because of stress at home, the counselor (faculty member) should advise the student on relaxation techniques other than smoking. For instance, the students can engage in other healthy pleasurable activities such as skating or playing video games to help clear his or her mind. The alternative will be well discussed with the student because he or she knows what suits better.

The other intervention of the faculty member will be to help the students stop the smoking habit. The students should reduce the number of times of smoking in a day as well as the number of cigarettes, if the student takes three rolls of a cigar, for four times a day. During the early cessation take the cigarette should reduce to two or 3 times a day. Then during the second stage, the student should take one cigarette for a day then followed by half a cigarette in a day and then cessation. This is a habit that should be practiced, and hence the students will have to be followed up for a year.

While at home and school the students will be implementing the matters discussed in the meeting. They will be engaging in recreational activities such as physical exercises, studying and helping their parents with home chores or family business to help keep them busy and fit. The students will also be keen on how they should facilitate their recovery progress such as dealing with contributing factors to smoking. The faculty member should follow on the progress of the students through a social media platform that is more convenient to the students. For instance, they can create a WhatsApp group where they can be discussing matters they are going through as they implement corrective smoking measures. The faculty member will be noting all the issues mentioned by the students and revisit them offering detailed advice on how to cope with them. 

Gantt Chart

Smoking free measure 5th

may 2019  

Tasks

Person(s)

Responsible

18/5/19

15/6/19

20/7/19

17/8/19

21/9/19

19/10/19

16/11/19

21/12/19

18/1/20

15/2/20

21/3/20

18/4/20

identification of participants

The students will identified through the school disciplinary department. This because they must have a record of the students with smoking allegations both at home and in the school.

training and awareness creation

The students will be informed of the purpose of the program and asked consider participating

Building trust

the faculty member will establish trust with the students via engaging the socially and being friendly to them so that they can open up and share their concerns  

Implementation of the program,

Students and faculty member will highlight their reasons for smoking and also motivating factors. They will also discuss if they can manage to stop

Students and faculty  will discuss the harmful effects of smoking and importance of having a smoke free environment

Students and the faculty member will discuss various ways that can be put in place to cease smoking habits  

The will go through the initial stage of smoking where the number of times and cigarette smoked will be reduced depending on each student case.

The second stage of cessation will be implemented and the frequency and amount of cigarettes smoked will be further reduced

The third stage and the final will be applied and the only one puff of cigarette will be taken per smoking session.  

Evaluation of the program

The students will be asked if they still have the hangover of smoking and those still do have will be encouraged to continually reduce the smoking habit.

Students will be exposed to a smoking group of youths independently without the knowledge of being assessed by the faculty member and inspected if they will smoke.  

Termination of the program

The faculty member will assemble all the students who participated and thank them. He or she should also encourage those who did not stop smoking to try and keep on reducing smoking frequencies