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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Cam T Escoffery, MPH, Laura K. McCormick, DrPH, and Kathe Childress, BA. Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, 300 River Road, Athens, GA 30602-6522, 706-542-5080, cescoffe@arches.uga.edu
The Internet offers a new medium for delivering messages to the public. Before disseminating interventions via the web, it is important to investigate its potential to impact health outcomes and consumer satisfaction. This study evaluates the feasibility of a web-based smoking cessation intervention for college students on quitting outcomes, stage movement, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward smoking. A randomized controlled trial with a pretest posttest control group design was conducted. Seventy undergraduate smokers from a southeast university aged 18 and older who are not on nicotine replacement therapy were recruited for the program. The intervention employed the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Theory of social support as strategies for motivating cessation. The intervention group received stage-matched messages, interactive personalized assessment, ask-the-expert questions, and opportunities to share about their smoking. The control group received generic information about smoking cessation as web pages. Because it was a feasibility study, a variety of process monitoring measures were developed. Tools were developed to track participation across various sessions, collect online activities of the participants, and assess satisfaction with the intervention. Some satisfaction items included: web sessions attended, percentage read, activities participated in, and ratings of the usefulness, interest, value, and relevance of the web sessions. Qualitative feedback was also collected. The results will present tracking information by session and by participation. Thirty-three students completed the satisfaction survey. Most attended all four sessions. The intervention group reported that the sessions were more useful and valuable than did the control group.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.