CAT Program Produces High Impact

March is “Kick Butt Day” and the Boys & Girls Club through the years have been dedicated to educated youth about tobacco and chew usage.

One of the programs that we run and participate in through South Dakota Department of Health Funding is the Tobaccos Disparities Grant, Clubs Against Tobacco (CAT.) Through a partnership with SDSU we were able to determine the impact our CAT program was having and below are some of the results.

CAT Program Produces High Impact

The CAT program produced impressive results among youth at Boys & Girls Clubs across the state of South Dakota.

•  332 youth completed the program (N = 229 in 4th-7th grade)
  
• Scores on the overall knowledge test increased from 66.8% to 81.9%
  
•  Each lesson produced significant increases in targeted knowledge areas
  
•  Youth confidence in “saying no” to cigarettes rose significantly
  
•  Understanding of differences between ceremonial & recreational use of tobacco increased significantly
  

 Improved Tobacco Knowledge after the program is associated with …

• Increased confidence in the ability to “say no” to cigarettes & chew, to avoid cigarettes and chew, and to talk with family about tobacco use
  
• Decreased perceived peer pressure to smoke or chew and likelihood of smoking or chewing.
  

Youth & Tobacco

About 4% of Youth have used to-bacco (either cigarettes or chew). This is higher than the 2013 SD state average of 3.5%.1

Tobacco use was highest among 5th graders (12%) and 7th graders (12%). Statewide, only 7.1% of 7th graders report using tobacco.1

Similar to other youth in SD, Club Youth from homes with tobacco users were twice as likely to use tobacco as those from tobacco-free homes.

About 7% of Youth have been offered tobacco. Fewer than 3% of Youth have been offered tobac-co by 4th grade. However, once they hit 5th grade, ~14% have been offered tobacco. Tobacco offers stay steady in 6th grade, and then jump to 24% in 7th grade and to 27% in 8th grade.

2 out of 100 4th graders have been offered tobacco.

1 out of 4 8th graders have been offered tobacco.

To learn more about the Club results and our programs, reach out and we would love to share!

BE Great!

Vanessa Merhib, Executive Director