Based on a randomized controlled multicentre-design the effect of school-based life skills programmes was investigated in a sample of 102 classes of secondary schools (Hauptschulen) in northern Germany. Self-reports of 1,057 pupils showed positive effects of the programmes on the reduction of smoking. Pupils' life skills improved in the teachers' assessment. The social and the migration status did not moderate the results. Both pupils and teachers evaluated the programmes very positive.

The attendance of families around the time of the delivery poses varying demands upon the hospital staff, not necessarily in keeping with traditional professional attitudes and competencies. Careful attention to the personal physical and emotional well-being of mothers and newborns, non-stigmatizing entry into the conversations, justness of the support and avoiding inconsistencies within the institution and the network all appear to be of great importance.

No abstract