Impact of Smoking Prevention Education by School Pharmacists on Elementary School Students’ Attitudes Towards Discouraging Smoking in Their Immediate Social Circle

Although the smoking rate in Japan has been declining year by year, it has not yet reached the national policy target. Therefore, this study examined whether smoking prevention education provided by school pharmacists could serve as a catalyst for children to encourage individuals in their immediate social circle to quit smoking. Using educational materials distributed to school pharmacists nationwide, we conducted pre- and post-lecture surveys of 989 elementary school students at 22 schools. Analysis revealed that knowledge regarding smoking as a disease of addiction, the availability of smoking cessation support at hospitals and pharmacies, and the role of community pharmacists significantly improved after the lecture. In terms of attitudes, the intention to take actions such as asking smokers in their social circle to quit or informing them of places where they could receive smoking cessation support increased by approximately 30 points after the lecture. In particular, the acquisition of specific knowledge regarding smoking cessation support was strongly correlated with changes in the intention to encourage family members and others to quit smoking. These results suggest that smoking prevention education provided by school pharmacists has the potential to not only prevent children from smoking but also to provide an opportunity for individuals in their immediate social circle to quit smoking, thereby promoting the utilization of pharmacies as local healthcare resources.