Introduction: According to a National Study inside The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs, 64% of schoolchildren aged 16 in Romania have ever smoked at least one cigarette. Starting 2005, volunteers from NGO "Aer Pur Romania (APR)" have become involved in European projects targeting smoke free schoolchildren and adolescents.
Methods: "Smoke-free class" competition project, was co-funded by EU, implemented first time in the school year 2004/2005 by the APR and Romanian National Anti- Drug Agency (RNDA) and was run annually ever since. The OBJECTIVE was smoking prevention among secondary school children aged 11-15. Classes decide to be a non-smoking class for a period of four months (at least 90% of class students decided to be non smokers during the program). The program was implemented in 5 counties in 2004/2005 and starting 2006 at national level. groups of 20-25 participants were given 6 classes about smoking induced harm, benefits of quitting smoking. Smoking status was determined in the first session by carbon monoxide (CO) measurement in exhaled air, than quitting smoking was encouraged and supported along sessions 2-5 and finally, with confirmation in session 6 of smoking status by CO. "Quit and Win" (Q&W) contest, aimed to encourage young smokers to stop smoking. Target group was 14-18 years old high school pupils, in 5 big towns of Romania. They had to refrain from smoking for 30 days. "I do not smoke" was a program funded by the Royal Embassy of Netherlands in Romania and was implemented by APR and RNDA, Romanian Ministry of Education and University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Cluj-Napoca.
Results: ASC involved 231 adolescents from 8 high schools that graduated the program (132 girls and 99 boys), 19 quitters (8.2%), 20 reducers and 48 participants tried to stop smoking at least once during the project. Six months evaluation showed 10 adolescents still abstinent and 4 still reducers. IDNS was done in 2006 with 27 classes aged 13/14 from Cluj-Napoca. Q&W was developed between 1 October- 30 November 2005, 6000 registration forms were distributed in 35 high schools from cities of Bucharest, Iasi, Cluj, Constanta and Timisoara. 67.3% of interviewed subjects registered for the contest, meaning 4038 persons, 24% current smokers and 76% never smokers.
Conclusion: Tobacco prevention needs long term control measures, having joint governmental, NGO and academic institutions initiatives, to assist teenagers to quit and to help them not to start.