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The Story Behind N-O-T
Not On Tobacco (N-O-T) was developed by the American Lung Association (ALA) and the West Virginia Prevention Research Center, West Virginia University, in collaboration with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, the West Virginia Department of Education, and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free West Virginia. The N-O-T program was developed because of the public health concern about the high prevalence of smoking by teens in West Virginia and nationwide.
Before the N-O-T program existed, the American Lung Association received many requests from across the nation asking for a program to help teens stop smoking. To answer those requests, the ALA and a team from West Virginia University (who shares the ALA’s vision and values with regard to teens’ smoking) worked together to develop a research-based, easy-to-use program that would be well received by teens throughout the country. The West Virginia Department of Education funded the development of the new program, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the initial evaluations. The program was pilot-tested in Florida and West Virginia, and additional research and evaluations were conducted in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. Ongoing evaluations allow the program to be continually revised and improved.
