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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Traci Hong, PhD¹, Carolyn C. Johnson, PhD¹, Larry S. Webber, PhD², Leann Myers, PhD², Neil Boris, MD¹, and Dixye Brewer, MA¹. (1) Community Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., Ste. 2301, New Orleans, LA 70112-2715, 504-988-4535, trhong@tulane.edu, (2) Biostatistics, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal St., Suite 2001, New Orleans, LA 70112-2715

A media campaign embedded in a total school environment tobacco prevention program addresses the challenges imposed by the changing mass media landscape and decreasing classroom time available for health interventions. The Acadiana Coalition of Teens against Tobacco (ACTT) was a randomized, controlled cohort study of 20 schools in South Central Louisiana. The school media campaign, one component of ACTT, was conducted in ten intervention schools and consisted of posters and PSAs. The annual poster campaign varied by budget level. A survey to evaluate the efficacy of the school media campaign measured (1) recalled exposure to PSAs and posters, (2) judged impact of anti-smoking poster and (3) affective reaction to poster. The survey data were collected in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grade spring semesters. Self-reported prevalence rate of 30-day cigarette smoking was assessed in a separate survey administered during each of the three intervention years. Results indicated that higher media exposure is associated with lower smoking prevalence rates. Although the majority of the correlations were not statistically significant (with the exception of PSAs in the 11th grade), all but one of the correlations were in the desired inverse direction, where higher media exposure is related to lower smoking prevalence rate. This direction of effect was also found for judged impact of posters and affective response to posters. Repeated-measure ANOVA indicated that the school year with the low budget level poster had significantly higher affective response than the school years with medium and high budget posters.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• Identify the advantages of having a school media campaign embedded in a total school environment tobacco prevention program.
• Articulate the evaluation procedure for assessing the efficacy of a school media.
• Apply a school media campaign to school-based tobacco prevention program.

Keywords: Tobacco Control, Media Campaigns

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered