223520 Results of the "Nasty" intervention evaluation: Effects of education about tobacco marketing on attitudes and intentions of high-risk youth

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Craig Dearfield, MA , Department of Sociology, Howard University, Washington, DC
Robin H. Pugh-Yi, PhD , Analytical and Technical Services Division, AFYA, Inc., Vienna, VA
Charles Debnam , American Lung Association of DC, Washintgon, DC
Debra Annand , American Lung Association- DC, Washington, DC
The American Lung Association of DC and the DC Department of Health followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to develop and implement the DC Tobacco Free Families Campaign (DCTFF), a program to prevent and reduce tobacco use. The campaign targeted all of DC, but especially higher risk, underserved communities. DCTFF sponsored focus group studies to assess community needs and determine effective approaches for addressing those needs. Focus groups indicated that clear messages about health consequences delivered by an admired celebrity, such as an athlete, would be effective. DCTFF collaborated with retired NFL player and anti-tobacco advocate, Steve Fitzhugh, to develop a brief educational intervention for secondary school students, "Nasty." The intervention consists of a short video and guided discussion about reasons for smoking, and not smoking, as well as tobacco advertising strategies, including marketing toward ethnic minorities and youth. The program will be implemented in DC public schools and selected community organizations beginning February 2010. An independent evaluator will conduct a pre- and post-intervention surveys of approximately 200 youth participants. Survey items assess tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors before and after the intervention. Pre-and post-test scores will assess the evaluation's effectiveness in increasing knowledge and decreasing intention to smoke. A key evaluation question is whether increased understanding of tobacco marketing is related to decreased intent to smoke.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe a tobacco prevention and cessation intervention targeting high-risk youth 2. Describe results of the intervention, especially the link between perceptions of tobacco advertising and intent to use tobacco

Keywords: Smoking Cessation, Adolescent Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the senior data analyst for the project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.