| Summary: | Background
Bullshit Free Generation (BFG) is a tobacco prevention program in Flanders that aims to prevent students from starting to smoke by challenging the school, the teachers and the students to work on tobacco prevention throughout the students’ educational career (age 12–18 years).
Objective
To evaluate the implementation of a school-based tobacco prevention program known as BFG.
Methods
In 29 schools, a pilot with a mix-method-design was conducted to evaluate the implementation of this program. An online pre-post survey was filled in by the school director and post surveys by the teaching staff and students. Focus group interviews were conducted in a selection of the pilot schools.
Results
In all, 25 of 29 pilot schools implemented BFG. The main reason for a school not implementing the program was poor support from the board. The support of the school staff is an important facilitator. A total of 10373 students participated in the program. Tobacco prevention was implemented in more than 30 different subjects. A total of 804 hours were spent teaching about tobacco. Good practices from other teachers are the main reason for teachers to talk about tobacco. Teachers and students are enthusiastic about the project. Students described the project as interesting, important, fun … with an average satisfaction score of 70%. The score was lower when the student smoked. Of the schools, 80% have the intention to do this program again next year. The main reasons for future participation of schools are their interest in raising awareness about tobacco, the positive attitude towards the project, and the success with the students.
Conclusion
The interest of the school in raising awareness about tobacco, the overall experience with the project and the feedback from students are critical components in the implementation of BFG. Barriers for the implementation are the lack of support from the school board and teachers.
|
|---|