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170900 Key grade-related periods for anti-tobacco campaigns and interventions: Trends in tobacco use, risk and protective factors for high and low sensation seeking White pre-teens and adolescents

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Ann C. Forsythe, PhD , Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Galen Cole, PhD, MPH , Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Nicole Kuiper, MPH , Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Tobacco use among children and teens continues to be one of America's greatest health concerns on a variety of levels. Previous research stresses the need to further investigate initial stages of child and adolescent tobacco use when attitudes change from negative to positive. A less explored research area is the association between sensation seeking and critical periods of tobacco attitude change, experimentation with tobacco use and progression to regular use. The principal objective of this study was to research youth grade-related trends on tobacco use and risk and protective factors for high and low sensation seekers so that anti-smoking messages may be targeted more effectively to at-risk youth at the times they are most vulnerable to smoking initiation and increased use.

The study used cross-sectional data from a national probability sample of over 3,800 4th-12th grade students. The independent variable was grade level with sensation seeking (high or low) as a contingent variable for across-grade plots of trends in tobacco intentions and use as well as various risk/protective factors.

Results of the study indicate middle school as a critical period for at-risk youth, especially for high sensation seekers who experienced sharp increases in tobacco and alcohol use and other risk factors during this period. High sensation seekers were significantly higher than low sensation seekers on tobacco use measures and risk factors associated with tobacco use from the 6th through 12th grades.

Learning Objectives:
1) Describe the role of sensation seeking in at-risk youth audiences 2) Identify sensation seeking attributes and dimensions 3) Identify critical time periods for adolescent tobacco use when attitudes change from negative to positive 4) Evaluate critical periods for at-risk youth communication messages that are developmentally appropriate for the target audience 5) Evaluate anti-smoking messages that may be targeted more effectively to at-risk youth at the times they are most vulnerable to smoking initiation and increased use.

Keywords: Youth, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: This is original research using secondary data on youth tobacco trends.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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