zackstark - smoke free through apprenticeship

The project “Zackstark” is run by the Lung League Aargau (Lungenliga Aargau, LLAG) and is funded by the Canton of Aargau as part of the cantonal tobacco prevention program 2016-2019. In 2007 the LLAG launched the Project “a smoke-free 1st apprenticeship year”, which was optimized in 2016 and has been run in various companies under the project name “Zackstark” since 2017. The project is intended to support apprentices in companies in the Canton of Aargau primarily by means of a contract in combination with an incentive system to remain smoke-free during their apprenticeship. To participate in a program apprentices are bound to a contract with the company and the LLAG. In this contract they declare that they are smoke-free, i.e. that they will not start or stop smoking. If they adhere to this contract for one or more years of the apprenticeship, they are rewarded with, for example, cash prizes, holidays or vouchers. The participating companies receive administrative support and professional advice from the LLAG. In the concrete implementation the individual companies are able determine the design and adaption of the incentives that are offered and other specific contractual conditions (e.g. prizes are either offered for each smoke-free apprenticeship year or only after the end of the apprenticeship). The goal of the evaluation is to examine the conception and implementation as well as the results and effects of the project “Zackstark”. Additionally, the aim is to critically reflect these results and to derive recommendations for the further development and continuation of the project.