Smoking-Prevention Programs in Schools Found Ineffective for Teens

Smoking-prevention programs in schools do little to keep teenagers from lighting up in the long run, concludes a research review out last week.

The report, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is based on an examination of eight evaluations conducted during the 1980s and 1990s on popular, nationally recognized school-based anti-smoking or anti-drug programs. The studies showed that the programs, typically offered in elementary or middle schools, kept children from smoking cigarettes in the short term. But one to seven years down the road, when those students reached 12th grade, they smoked as frequently as peers who had never been exposed to prevention lessons.

“There may be an intervention out there that schools are using that is effective,” said Dr. Sarah E. Wiehe, the lead author. “But, if they’re using any of the programs that have been studied at length,...