The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #44815

Vincent Chen, PhD¹, John Oswald, PhD, MPH², Brian Zupan, PhD², Jean L. Forster, PhD¹, and Maribet C. McCarty, PhD, MPH¹. (1) Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, 1300 South Second St., Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015, 612-625-4567, chen_v@epi.umn.edu, (2) Center for Health Statistics, Minnesota Department of Health, 717 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414

One of the central aims of the Minnesota Adolescent Community Cohort (MACC) study is the prospective measurement of the overall effect of the Minnesota tobacco prevention endowment on youth at the individual, community or regional, and state levels. To achieve this objective, the MACC study utilizes a cohort design, with 3600 individual adolescents (initially aged 12-16 years) from a random sample of 60 geo-political units (GPUs). Selected GPUs mirror regional and local variation in population density, representing rural (n=31; a county or group of counties), suburban (n=21; > 1 school district or townships), and urban (n=8; neighborhood, planning district, or census tracts) areas. By serving as both the primary sampling unit as well as the primary unit of analysis, GPUs offer several theoretical and practical benefits. Advantages and challenges of using a GPU strategy as the focal point in a sampling plan for a study of this magnitude will be discussed. Further, the conceptual and practical appeal of utilizing GPUs as the primary unit of analysis will be considered. For example, youth tobacco prevention programs will likely yield differential outcomes across Minnesota due to the unique characteristics of specific regions, cities, and neighborhoods within cities combined with the level of exposure and intensity of local tobacco prevention efforts. The ability of GPUs to specify and capture such key differential outcomes will be presented via preliminary data analyses, as well as the application of the MACC study’s GPU scheme to Minnesota’s Synar youth access enforcement data collection and data analysis.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the use of geo-political units in the design of the MACC study;
• Describe how the geo-political units will be used to evaluate the Minnesota tobacco control program.

Keywords: Adolescents, Tobacco

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.