Effectiveness of Health Education on Tobacco Use Prevention Among Secondary School Adolescents in Kaduna State

Tobacco use initiation during adolescence remains a major public health concern in Nigeria, with increasing exposure through peer influence, social media, and inadequate school-based health education. This study evaluated the effectiveness of health education on tobacco use prevention among secondary school adolescents in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving 280 students from four senior secondary schools in Kaduna North and Zaria local government areas. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a four-week health education programme covering tobacco composition, health consequences, and resistance skills. Data were gathered via a structured questionnaire at baseline and eight weeks post-intervention. Analysis involved paired t-tests and independent samples tests. Results showed that the intervention significantly increased knowledge of tobacco harms and improved self-efficacy to resist peer pressure among experimental group participants (p less than 0.05). No meaningful change was recorded in the control group. The study concluded that school-based health education is a viable strategy for tobacco use prevention among adolescents. Recommendations include training school counsellors and health teachers in evidence-based tobacco prevention curricula and establishing clear school-based anti-tobacco policies. Keywords: tobacco prevention, health education, adolescents, secondary school, Kaduna State