Welcome

This will be my final update for 2009 and a time to reflect on what has been a busy and dynamic year for the Schools Group. At our meeting in September the Action Plan for 2009-2010 was confirmed. I have detailed some of planned projects later in this newsletter. Thank you to the many people who have supported the work of the schools project throughout 2009; your contributions have been invaluable.

Wishing you all a very safe and happy festive season.

Warmest regards

Kath Blair, Schools Project Manager

Website news

"Quitting in School Communities" is the latest page to be added to the website. It provides guidance for school communities on how to support the quitting process for teachers, school staff, parents and students. This information has been written to support the New Zealand Smoking Cessation Guidelines. Click this link to view the page www.smokefreeschools.co.nz/quittingschcomms.php

Resource Development-News Flash!

The contract has been let for a review and redevelopment of resources for use in schools. These resources will include curriculum-linked and pedagogically sound teaching tools. Phase 1 of the project will involve an audit of existing resources and a targeted consultation process with teachers, Board of Trustees representatives, senior management and health promoters. Planning is well underway and you can look forward to further progress reports during the first few months of 2010.

He Aratohu mō te Kura Auahi Kore

He Aratohu mō te Kura Auahi Kore

Ko tā te puka He Aratohu mō te Kura Auahi Kore (2009) he āwhina i ngā kura ki te whakarite mahinga hei whakatairanga i ngā whanonga me ngā waiaro auahi kore ki ngā ākonga, me te whānau whānui o te kura.

Tukua iho mai a www.smokefreeschools.org.nz/docs/HeAratohumoteKuraAuahiKore.pdf

Guide to a Smokefree/Auahi Kore School

Our Guide to a Smokefree/Auahi Kore School (2009) helps schools plan their next steps towards actively promoting smokefree behaviours and attitudes to students, whānau and the wider school community. Click here to download www.smokefreeschools.co.nz/docs/AF-AK_Schools_Guidelines_09_July.pdf

Latest Research

The following research articles make very interesting reading.

School-based tobacco-control programming and student smoking behaviour

The study examined the association of a school-based tobacco-control program with students' smoking behaviour. The strongest predictors of smoking behaviour were having friends or close family members who smoke. This preliminary evidence suggests that programs and policies associated with banning smoking and enforcing smoking restrictions at school may be insufficient unless they also address the influence of smoking peers and family members and link to comprehensive programming within the broader context of other community and policy level interventions. Click here to link to the full article www.smokefreeschools.co.nz/docs/ChronicDisCan-Murnaghan.pdf (136KB)

Density of Tobacco Retailers Near Schools: Effects on Tobacco Use Among Students
The study examined the relationship between students' tobacco use and the density and proximity of tobacco retailers near their schools. The results support the plausibility of reducing rates of students' experimental smoking, but not established smoking, by restricting their access to commercial sources of tobacco in urban areas.Click here to link to the full article www.smokefreeschools.co.nz/docs/AJPH-McCarthy.pdf (513KB)

Contribution of parental and school personnel smoking to health risk behaviours among Finnish adolescents.This study compared parental smoking with school personnel smoking in relation to adolescents' smoking behaviours, alcohol use, and illicit drug use. Conclusions: Parental smoking and school personnel smoking are both associated with adolescents' health risk behaviours but the association of parental smoking seems to be stronger. Click here for the full article www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-9-382.pdf (272KB)

Keeping Kids Smokefree: lessons learned on community participation

This paper describes lessons learned about community participation from a quasi-experimental trial aimed at reducing the uptake of smoking among pre-adolescents in a community with a high percentage of Maori and Pacific Island people. Approximately 4000 students (and their parents) from four urban Auckland schools were enrolled in the study over 3 years. The intervention was carried out through collaborations between public health professionals, academic institutions and school personnel. Click here for full article (78Kb).