School Characteristics and Participation in a Smoking Prevention Intervention

Objective: We examined whether schools participating in a school-based smoking prevention intervention (X:IT II) differed from other schools in Denmark. Methods: We used national data to compare schools in X:IT II (N = 46) to all other schools nationwide having a 7th grade (N = 1299). Using binary logistic regression analyses, we examined whether school characteristics and measures of pupils' well-being were associated with participation. Results: We found lower odds for participating in X:IT II among private schools compared to public schools (OR = .433, p = .026) and higher odds for participating among schools with many pupils reporting high social well-being (OR = 1.034, p = .023) and low well-being concerning support and inspiration (OR = 1.055, p = .019). Conclusions: Findings suggest that schools in X:IT II are representative in terms of pupil enrollment, proportion of pupils with foreign origin, organizational resources, average grades, academic well-being, and well-being concerning peace and order compared to schools nationwide. On the other hand, type of institution (private vs public), social well-being, and well-being concerning support and inspiration were significantly associated with participation in the intervention. These findings are relevant for guiding future interventions targeting health areas among school children and adolescents.