The current project integrates innovative with well-tested methods for cigarette smoking prevention among Latino youth. Building on the Latin American tradition of community health advisors, and strong familialism, we will recruit and train urban high school students to mentor and teach middle school students (MSS) about the dangers of tobacco and ways to prevent peer and other pressure to smoke. Rather than large classroom interventions, these high school advisors (HSAs) will recruit families with a child of middle school age from neighborhoods near their schools. HSAs will meet with the MSS and their families to teach them about a) the dangers of tobacco; b) peer and media pressure to use tobacco; c) appropriate refusal behaviors; and d) community resources. Additionally, the intervention will focus on improving self-esteem and family communication about health related behaviors to encourage parents and other family members to support their middle school-aged relative in remaining smoke free. Intervention materials will be 'user friendly' to reduce the HSA training burden. Approximately 300 high school students, from 9 school sites, will be recruited to participate as HSAs. They will work in pairs, with each pair recruiting 10 families, not related to them (1500 total), to participate in the study. After the recruitment period, five of the families will be randomly assigned to the intervention and five to the no intervention condition. This paper will provide information about HSA recruitment, and describe the HSA training curriculum and characteristics of the HSAs selected to conduct the intervention.
Keywords: Tobacco Control, Community Health Promoters
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.