A Cluster-RCT of SHS Among Primary School Students

Summary

This is a school- and family-based prospective trial among Primary/Grade 2-4 (P2-4) students in randomly selected 12 schools in Hong Kong. This study will assess the intervention effects on children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (including SHS and THS at home, SHS at home from neighbours and SHS outside home), children's SHS-related knowledge and attitude, intention to smoke, respiratory symptoms, parents' smoking cessation, and family happiness.

Conditions

• Secondhand Smoke
• Thirdhand Smoke
• Smoking

Interventions

OTHER

Worksheets

Worksheets will be distributed to students for them and their parents to complete together. During the first 3 months, the teachers will distribute 1 worksheet every two weeks to the intervention grades, and 1 worksheet in the 4th and 5th months as boosters. The worksheets will deliver information about tobacco smoke, SHS and THS, inviting students and their family members to complete other interesting tasks together.

OTHER

Whatsapp messages

A mobile phone number of this study is also provided on the worksheets, through which participants can receive WhatsApp/WeChat/instant messages (1-2 times every week) designed to encourage behavioural change \[15\]. They can then forward selected messages to other members of their household, especially smokers.

OTHER

Online quizzes

At the end of each worksheet, a QR code is inserted. By scanning this code, students or parents will be invited to answer 2-3 simple quizzes which allow us to assess students' knowledge obtained from the intervention materials and their avoidance of environmental tobacco smoke.

OTHER

Leaflet

A leaflet on smoking and SHS published by the Department of Health will be mailed to the control grades.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health

  collaborator OTHER

• The University of Hong Kong

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Sai Yin Ho, PhD · School of Public Health, the University of Hong Kong

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-09-20

Primary Completion

2019-11-30

Completion

2019-11-30

Countries

• Hong Kong

Study Locations