Longitudinal Evaluation of Teens Against Tobacco Use

The investigators will collaborate with Austin High School, Wiggs Middle School, and Guillen
Middle School of the El Paso Independent School District to implement smoke free youth
coalitions as an after school activity. The coalitions will follow the Teens Against Tobacco
Use (TATU) model developed by the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society,
and the American Heart Association. Participating youth will be trained to develop and
deliver anti-tobacco presentations to younger students. Each school will have a separate
youth coalition operating under the guidance of an adult coordinator. High school youth will
present to middle school classes, whereas middle school youth will present to 4th and 5th
graders.

To evaluate the efficacy of the smoke-free presentations, the investigators will first match
pairs of classrooms willing to have a presentation and then randomly assign one classroom in
each pair to either receive a series of two presentations first (intervention condition) or
later in the school year (control condition). The day after each presentation to a classroom
in the intervention condition, investigators will administer a brief survey about tobacco to
students in both the intervention class and its matched control class, who have not yet
received a presentation. Analyses will compare intervention and control classrooms on
tobacco susceptibility.

Inclusion Criteria:

- 4th to 8th grade student

- Classroom must be willing to be randomly assigned to either receive presentations
earlier in the school year or late in the school year.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Classes in participating schools that are not in the 4th to 8th grade

- Students not able to read English or Spanish