Susanna Nemes, PhD¹, Jennifer Weil, MA², Jeffrey A. Hoffman, PhD², and José Muñoz, PhD³. (1) Danya International, Inc., 8737 Colesville Road, Suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-565-2142, snemes@danya.com, (2) Danya International Inc, 8737 Colesville Road, suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (3) Tobacco and Drug Team, Danya International, Inc., 8737 Colesville Rd., Suite 1200, Silver Spring, MD 20910

According to the 1998 US Surgeon General's Report, Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups, smoking initiation among Latino populations is rapidly rising. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that smoking prevalence among Latino adolescents increased by thirty four percent between 1991-1997 (LCAT fact sheet, 2001). Unfortunately, limited resources are available to help Hispanic youth quit smoking. In response to this need, Danya International Inc., with funding from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has developed, Hispanic/Spanish ASCENT, a multifaceted smoking-cessation program for Latino adolescents. Based on the transtheoretical model of “Stages of Change”, Hispanic/Spanish ASCENT provides adolescents with cognitive behavioral strategies to assist them in quitting smoking. The intervention includes a six-session curriculum, teen workbook, and motivational video. The program, developed in Spanish provides culturally relevant exercises for Latino youth between the ages of 14 and 18. Two Focus groups were conducted to collect qualitative data for the purpose of tailoring the intervention to the target audience. Both the development process of this program will be presented as well as data collected from these focus groups. In addition, Lessons learned from this project and recommendations for culturally adapting smoking cessation programs for Latino youth will be provided.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how a previously developed tobacco cessation program can be adapted for Latino youth;
• Recognize how culture may influence an individual’s quitting behavior;
• Identify three methodological challenges in conducting school based intervention research.

Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Latino Mental Health

Related Web page: www.danya.com

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Danya International Inc.
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.