SIGN UP
Sign up for program updates.
Why Use N-O-T
- It really works! It has a 21% quit rate, which is higher than the success rate of any other program to help teens stop smoking.
- It is based on more than 10 years of research and evaluation.
- It is easy to use and inexpensive.
- The American Lung Association trains the facilitators and gives them ongoing support.
- The N-O-T Web site has help for all aspects of program delivery, including advertising, recruitment, and implementation.
What are the benefits of the N-O-T program for schools?
- N-O-T functions as a health education course.
- N-O-T improves the quality of life for all students and teachers in the school by promoting a tobacco-free environment.
- N-O-T helps schools comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use & Addiction.
What are the benefits of the N-O-T program for teens?
- Teens quit smoking! Teens are successful in the N-O-T program because they may quit smoking, reduce smoking, or at least attempt to quit or reduce smoking.
- They gain a sense of accomplishment and control over smoking.
- They form friendships with other teens in the program.
- They build a positive relationship with an adult role model, the facilitator.
- Their motivation to do well in school often increases.
- They improve their health not just by reducing their smoking but by increasing their physical activity, managing their stress better, eating better, and learning how to obtain and maintain social support.
- They save money; they learn how much they spend on cigarettes, and if they quit or reduce smoking, they reap the savings.
The N-O-T program was designed and developed specifically for teens. One study1 found that almost 97% of the participants said they liked the N-O-T program, and 87% agreed or strongly agreed that being in a group was helpful in trying to quit smoking. Teens also reported that they felt better about themselves, dealt better with stress, exercised more, made new friends, dealt better with family, ate better, and went to school more often. Most teens who completed the N-O-T program said that facilitators were trustworthy and cared about the participants. Teens also said that N-O-T helped them change several areas of their lives, including increasing their level of exercise, managing stress better, and improving their self-esteem.
1Horn K, Dino G, Gao X, Momani A. feasibility evaluation of Not On Tobacco: ALA’s new stop smoking program for adolescents. Journal of Health Education 1999;5(Sept):192-206.
