Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113585

Thomas W. Valente, PhD¹, Janet Okamoto, MPH¹, and Mary Ann Pentz, PhD². (1) Keck School of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, 1000 South Fremont, Unit 8, Room 5133, Alhambra, CA 91803, 626-457-6678, tvalente@usc.edu, (2) Institute for Prevention Research, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-9176

School-based tobacco prevention programs use peer leaders to assist in implementation (Perry et al. 2003). Leaders are selected by teachers, health educators, or by students (using a ballot method). In addition, students are often put into workgroups for many of the exercises. A recent study (Valente et al. 2003) showed that leader selection and group composition affect tobacco prevention program outcomes. Specifically, we found that teacher-selected leaders and groups and network-selected leaders and groups were more effective than leaders selected by ballot and groups constructed randomly (Valente et al. submitted). This finding validates current interest in using network and system-level data for health promotion program implementation. The present study attempts to replicate this finding and test the feasibility of having teachers implement a network method for identifying peer leaders and constructing workgroups. Nested within an evaluation of Satellite TV for training community leaders in substance use prevention, there were 16 schools and 118 classes that used the network method. These schools will be compared to 12 schools and 78 classes that did not. Teachers collected network data and mailed the short surveys to researchers at USC. The research team entered the data and emailed or faxed leader and group assignments to the teachers. Effectiveness will be measured by comparing tobacco use rates at the individual and classroom levels between the network condition and classes that taught the program without using the network method and controls.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to

• Understand methods used to identify peer opinion leaders in school-based health promotion programs.
• Understand how network analysis can be used to improve school-based health promotion programs.
• Articulate whether the network method is more effective than non-network methods at preventing tobacco use among middle school students.

Keywords: Tobacco Control, School-Based Programs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commertial supporters WITH THE EXCEPTION OF a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant (#R01 CA012524).

Recorded presentation