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Useful Documents

You may find that the generic job descriptions below provide you with a useful starting point when you are considering recruiting staff for the DECIPHer-ASSIST programme.

Publications – DECIPHer-ASSIST Peer-reviewed articles

2009

Starkey F, Audrey S, Holliday J, Moore L, Campbell R. Identifying influential young people to undertake effective peer-led health promotion: the example of A Stop Smoking In Schools Trial. Health Education Research 2009 Advance Access August 14th [doi: 10.1093/her/cyp045]

Holliday J, Audrey S, Moore L, Parry-Langdon N, Campbell R. High fidelity? How should we consider variations in the delivery of school-based health promotion interventions? Health Education Journal 2009;68(1):44-62. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0017896908100448.

2008

Campbell R, Starkey F, Holliday J, Audrey S, Bloor M, Parry- Langdon N, Hughes R, Moore L. An informal school-based peer-led intervention for smoking prevention in adolescence (ASSIST): a cluster randomised trial. Lancet 2008;371:1595–1602

Audrey S, Holliday J, Campbell R. Clarity, commitment and compatibility: Teacher perspectives on the implementation of a school-based health promotion programme. Health Education Journal 2008;67:74-90.

2006

Audrey S, Holliday J, Parry-Langdon N, Campbell R, et al. Meeting the challenges of implementing process evaluation within randomised controlled trials: the example of ASSIST (A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial). Health Education Research 2006;21(3):366-377.

Audrey S, Holliday J, Campbell R. It’s good to talk: An adolescent perspective of talking to their friends about being smoke-free. Social Science and Medicine 2006;63(2):320-344.

2005

Starkey F, Moore L, Campbell R, Sidaway M, Bloor M. Rationale, design and conduct of a comprehensive evaluation of a school-based peer-led anti-smoking intervention in the UK: the ASSIST cluster randomised trial [ISRCTN55572965]. BMC Public Health April 2005, 5:43. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/43

2004

Audrey S, Cordall K, Moore L, Cohen D, Campbell R, et al. (2004) The Development and Implementation of a peer-led intervention to prevent smoking among secondary school students using their established social networks. Health Education Journal, 63, 3,266-284.

ASSIST facts

Over 40,000 Year 8 students have now taken part in ASSIST.
The evidence-based research suggests that approximately 1,500 young people will not go on to take up smoking as a result.
Over 250 schools have been involved in the programme.
Over 100 PCT and Local Authority staff have been trained to deliver ASSIST.

Smoking facts

1 Around 10 million adults smoke in the U.K.
2 Smoking causes nearly 20% of deaths in England.
3 Cigarettes are responsible for more than 11.000 deaths worldwide every day.
4 Children who start smoking before the age of 16 are twice as likely to continue as adults (compared to those who take up the habit later).
5 Treating smoking related illnesses costs the National Health Service around £2.7 billion pounds every year.
6 86% of 12 to 17 year olds who smoke prefer the 3 most heavily advertised brands.

Childhood smokers

While less than 1% of 11 and 12-year old children smoke, by the age of 15 years, 15% of children in England report being regular smokers despite the fact that it is illegal to sell any tobacco product to under 18s. There is evidence that actual smoking rates among 15-year olds may be higher than reported, based on measurements of cotinine in saliva, with 21% of 15-year old boys and 19% of 15-year old girls having cotinine levels indicative of active smoking.

In 2009, 6% of children aged 11-15 years smoked at least one cigarette each week: 7% of girls and 5% of boys.

Since 1986, girls have had consistently higher rates of smoking than boys: in 2009, 16% of 15-year old girls were regular smokers compared to 14% of boys. On average, regular child smokers smoke 38 cigarettes per week.