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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Pamela A. Kulbok, DNSc, RN¹, Peggy S. Meszaros, PhD², Hyekyun Rhee, PhD, RN¹, Ivora Hinton, PhD³, Nisha Botchwey, PhD⁴, Viktor Bovbjerg, PhD⁵, Donna Bond, MSN, RN⁶, and Nancy Anderson, PhD, RN, FAAN⁷. (1) School of Nursing, Unviersity of Virginia, P.O. Box 800782, Charlottesville, VA 22911, (434) 924-0128, pk6c@virginia.edu, (2) Department of Human Development, Virginia Tech, 200 Wallace Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24060, (3) Rural Health Care Research Center, University of Virginia, P.O.Box 800782, 202 15th St. SW, Charlottesville, VA 22903-0782, (4) School of Architecture, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400122, Charlottesville, VA 22904, (5) Public Health Science, University of Virginia, PO Box 800717, Charlottesville, VA 22908, (6) Carilion Health System, PO Box 13367, Roanoke, VA 24014, (7) School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Box 956917, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Tobacco use is a complex risky behavior occurring across ethnically diverse groups of adolescents and is determined by multiple factors. In tobacco producing states, high lung cancer death rates are attributable to a high prevalence of smoking. In fact, the highest levels of smoking are reported among rural youth and those living in the south. Rural adolescent females are worrisome since smoking initiation among young girls is equal to that among boys, and girls are at increased risk for smoking related diseases, reproductive, and pregnancy problems. Since nicotine dependence may develop in youth within 1-3 years of trying smoking, there is a narrow window of opportunity for intervention. The purpose of this exploratory study with focus groups is to identify protective individual and environmental influences related to nonsmoking in African American and Caucasian female adolescents ages 16 -17 years, who reside in rural, tobacco-producing counties of Virginia. Differences between nonsmoking rural African American and Caucasian females will be explored and compared; in addition, the results of this study will be compared with the results of a similar study of nonsmoking female adolescents from an urban Virginia community. Also, focus groups with African American and Caucasian parents of rural adolescent female nonsmokers will be conducted, analyzed and compared with prior research. Four female adolescent focus groups and two parent groups will be conducted. African American and Caucasian participants will be interviewed separately. Also, teen former smoking experimenters or never triers will be interviewed separately. Teens least likely to engage in risky behavior are those who have positive relationships with their parents. Preliminary findings related to the identification of protective factors including family communication patterns will be reported. Interventions to enhance protective factors may contribute to reduced tobacco use among female adolescents in rural Virginia.

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

• Describe protective individual, environmental, and parental factors that influence female 16 and 17 year old nonsmokers from rural tobacco producing counties.
• Analyze potential differences in protective factors associated with rural female adolescent nonsmoking status (never triers vs. former experimenters) and racial background.
• Discuss the feasibility of enhancing protective factors in the development a youth tobacco prevention project.

Keywords: Adolescents, Smoking

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered