Implementing and evaluating SABEMOS in two Texas colonias: Examining interpersonal and media influences on parenting tobacco-free Hispanic/Latino youth

The Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health, Center for Community Health Development (CCHD)—one of the CDC's Prevention Research Centers—contracted with the CDC to evaluate SABEMOS: an English- Spanish-language communications kit designed to promote awareness of existing positive social norms regarding in-home protection from secondhand smoke. Specifically, CCHD implemented and evaluated SABEMOS in two colonias located on the Texas-Mexico border. In addition to the media campaign which was implemented in both project areas, CCHD created an additional piece—an interpersonal component which included developing a promotora (community health worker) training module on second hand smoke. Project staff developed and tested the interpersonal component prior to implementation and then project promotores utilized the module with colonia residents in one of the project areas. A pre-post-post design, this project measured changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior about the effects of second-hand smoke exposure in youth ages 14 and younger among participants exposed to the interpersonal intervention and the media campaign versus those same measures in colonia residents in the control site exposed to only the media campaign. The purpose of the project remained to rest the effectiveness of an interpersonal component (community health workers) as a means for reducing second-hand smoke among Hispanics.