The Arizona Smokers' Helpline Youth Diversion Program is a tobacco cessation program developed as an alternative to more punitive measures for adolescents violating tobacco laws. Based at the University of Arizona, the core of the program involves five weekly mail-home activity packets and five weekly telephone counseling sessions. Participants are randomly assigned to either an adult or peer counselor and to one of two counseling styles: directive and non-directive. The directive style maintains a focus on tobacco use and is didactic while the non-directive style in broader and more conversational. The mail-home activities are based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. This paper focuses on program preparation and piloting with a special emphasis on the application of social science theory in the development of both public health interventions as well as the specific materials utilized in such interventions. The paper also provides preliminary results of the first year-emphasizing only general outcomes. Preliminary analysis of the data is based upon a sample of 75 participants who have completed the core of the program in the pilot year. Of these participants, 9 have been left out of the analyses due to the fact that they reported using no tobacco at the start of the program. Of the remaining 66 smoking participants, 29% made quit attempts, 17% were smoke-free at the end of the program, and 44% reduced their tobacco use by at least 25%. Implications for the development of tobacco cessation interventions for youth will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, session participants will be able to: 1. Discuss the main features of the Theory of Planned Behavior. 2. Summarize the current state of published research regarding adolescent tobacco cessation. 3. Summarize the preliminary findings of the ASH Youth Diversion program and their implications. During the session: 1. Theory-based approaches to adolescent tobacco cessation will de discussed. 2. Discussion will address the development and implementation of a telephone-based intervention to encourage adolescent tobacco cessation
Keywords: Adolescents, Counseling
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.