Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

Pilot trial and process evaluation of a multi-level smoking prevention intervention in further education settings

Fletcher, Adam ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6705-7659, Willmott, M, Langford, R, White, Jamie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8371-8453, Poole, R, Brown, Rachel ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4475-1733, Young, Honor ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0664-4002, Moore, Graham ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6136-3978, Murphy, Simon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3589-3681, Townson, Julia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8679-3619, Hollingworth, W, Campbell, R and Bonell, C 2017. Pilot trial and process evaluation of a multi-level smoking prevention intervention in further education settings. [Technical Report]. PHR journal series, NIHR Journals Library. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29072889/

[thumbnail of NIHR Monograph Revised 14.02.17.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version
Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Preventing smoking uptake among young people is a public health priority. Further education (FE) settings provide access to the majority of 16- to 18-year-olds, but few evaluations of smoking prevention interventions have been reported in this context to date. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of implementing and trialling a new multilevel smoking prevention intervention in FE settings. Design: Pilot cluster randomised controlled trial and process evaluation. Setting: Six UK FE institutions. Participants: FE students aged 16–18 years. Intervention: ‘The Filter FE’ intervention. Staff working on Action on Smoking and Health Wales’ ‘The Filter’ youth project applied existing staff training, social media and youth work resources in three intervention settings, compared with three control sites with usual practice. The intervention aimed to prevent smoking uptake by restricting the sale of tobacco to under-18s in local shops, implementing tobacco-free campus policies, training FE staff to deliver smoke-free messages, publicising The Filter youth project’s online advice and support services, and providing educational youth work activities. Main outcome measures: (1) The primary outcome assessed was the feasibility and acceptability of delivering and trialling the intervention. (2) Qualitative process data were analysed to explore student, staff and intervention team experiences of implementing and trialling the intervention. (3) Primary, secondary and intermediate (process) outcomes and economic evaluation methods were piloted. Data sources: New students at participating FE settings were surveyed in September 2014 and followed up in September 2015. Qualitative process data were collected via interviews with FE college managers (n = 5) and the intervention team (n = 6); focus groups with students (n = 11) and staff (n = 5); and observations of intervention settings. Other data sources were semistructured observations of intervention delivery, intervention team records, ‘mystery shopper’ audits of local shops and college policy documents. Results: The intervention was not delivered as planned at any of the three intervention settings, with no implementation of some community- and college-level components, and low fidelity of the social media component across sites. Staff training reached 28 staff and youth work activities were attended by 190 students across the three sites (< 10% of all eligible staff and students), with low levels of acceptability reported. Implementation was limited by various factors, such as uncertainty about the value of smoking prevention activities in FE colleges, intervention management weaknesses and high turnover of intervention staff. It was feasible to recruit, randomise and retain FE settings. Prevalence of weekly smoking at baseline was 20.6% and was 17.2% at follow-up, with low levels of missing data for all pilot outcomes.

Item Type: Monograph (Technical Report)
Status: Published
Schools: Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer)
Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher: NIHR Journals Library
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 28 March 2017
Last Modified: 07 Jul 2023 01:50
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/99404

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics