Students recruited to wage war on smoking

SENIOR second-level students have been recruited as frontline soldiers in the war against the tobacco industry.

Under a new health promotion initiative organised by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Cork, senior students at a city secondary school will spread the word amongst junior students about the dangers of smoking.

Staff from the HSE’s health promotion department trained 26 senior students of Christ King Secondary School on the South Douglas Road to deliver the anti-smoking message to younger students.

International evidence points to the success of this so-called “peer-led intervention” in a school setting, but there has been little research into whether the approach could work in an Irish setting.

UCC’s department of epidemiology will conduct extensive research on this new peer-led approach in Christ King to assess whether it has any effect on students’ beliefs and attitudes towards smoking and whether there have been any changes in smoking behaviour.

The HSE training courses gave students an insight into the slick marketing practices employed by the tobacco industry and how they impact on young people’s smoking habits.

The students investigated the misconceptions that smoking helps to reduce weight and stress levels.

And they looked at tobacco product placement, particularly in blockbuster movies, and at how the tobacco industry targets youth-friendly events like concerts and festivals to advertise tobacco products on flyers.

“We learned so much about the tobacco industry in the training delivered by the health promotion department,” said fifth-year student Heather Mulcahy. “We’re working hard to spread the truth among junior students to prevent them getting addicted to smoking.”

The senior students have launched a major anti-smoking campaign. It will involve them delivering a series of workshops for first- and second-year students.

They began a week-long poster campaign in the school yesterday to highlight the health effects of smoking, and to warn students about how the tobacco industry markets its products.

They have installed information stands and will run lunchtime information sessions. Parents, teachers and students interested in quitting smoking will also be invited to participate in HSE smoking cessation groups.

“We are delighted to have UCC on board to carry out an analysis of the impact of our work with the school,” said HSE senior health promotion officer Denise Cahill.

“We decided to focus not just on the health effects of smoking, but also more specifically on highlighting the unethical practices of the tobacco industry in targeting young people with products.”