Anti-smoking survey helps Walhalla students

WALHALLA — Results from a survey conducted by Clemson University nursing students to 230 Walhalla Middle School eighth-grade students regarding the dangers of tobacco use show that the message was received loud and clear.
Post-test results released by the school show that 225 of the respondents (97.80 percent) agree that cigarettes or cigars are dangerous and 221 concur that dipping and smokeless tobacco are dangerous. Approximately 224 feel oral cancer is a complication of dipping and smokeless tobacco, 226 believe lung cancer is a complication to cigarette smoking and 194 say second hand smoke is bad.
As far as the nurses presentation, 223 said it was well presented, 205 said it was interesting and 220 said they were glad the nurses came to the school.
“The post-test results showed that we went from 81.7 percent that didn’t think tobacco is dangerous to 97.8 percent that thought tobacco is dangerous,” said Walhalla Middle School Principal Chuck Middleton. “This was a very needed subject to work with and they did a great job of putting it together, gathering and disseminating the data.”
The nine-week tobacco study was the latest in a series of surveys and data collected annually at the school by Clemson University nursing groups, led by nursing instructor Betsy Swanson. Previous studies have included energy drinks, alcohol, diabetes awareness, exercise and physical fitness and obesity.
Katy Atkins, Katy Fuller, Sarah Toms, Anne Farish, Heather Leroux, Mallory Musiel and Kaitlin O’Brien collected data and presented it to students in the form of skits that dealt with peer pressure and other factors. The 230 eighth-graders surveyed consisted of
116 females and 114 males.
“I felt the nurses did an awesome job of getting and keeping 230 students attention throughout their presentation,” Middleton said.
Comments by students in the post-survey included praise for the nurses and the information provided, adding that it was “cool,” and “really helpful.”