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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Christine Makosky Daley, PhD, MA, SM, Paul Cowan, and Won S. Choi, PhD, MPH. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, MS 1008, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, KS 66160, 913-588-2477, pcowan@kumc.edu

The All Nations Breath of Life program is a smoking cessation program designed for a heterogeneous American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population. Prior to conducting a randomized clinical trial of the program, we assessed our materials for scientific accuracy, readability, and cultural-appropriateness. Scientific accuracy was judged by a panel of experts in smoking cessation clinical trials, including a medical doctor, an epidemiologist, and a psychologist. Readability was assessed by two independent researchers using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), a tool designed to assess educational materials for content, literacy demand, graphics, layout and typography, learning stimulation and motivation, and cultural appropriateness. We modified the SAM by taking out the cultural appropriateness section, as we believe cultural appropriateness is best determined by members of the culture. Instead, we showed our materials to the AI/AN facilitators for the program (N=2), a pilot group of smokers going through the program (N=30), and additional AI/AN community members chosen specifically for their knowledge of the traditional use of tobacco by different AI/AN groups (N=6), with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted. Our materials were found to be scientifically accurate, superior according to the SAM (84%), and culturally-appropriate. After a full assessment of our educational materials, we are currently refining them based on additional information from our community members for use in a clinical trial of the program. This presentation will describe our process of assessment and will explain how this process can be used for other types of educational materials.

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

• Understand how to assess educational materials designed for an AI/AN smoking cessation program for scientific accuracy, readability, and cultural appropriateness using a combination of scientific and community member review and the Suitability Assessment of Materials.
• Understand how this process can be used to assess other types of educational materials in a variety of populations.

Keywords: Assessments, Cultural Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation