260679 Tobacco Prevention via Online Teacher Continuing Education Program in Florida

Sunday, October 28, 2012

W. William Chen, PhD, CHES , Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Chung-Bang Weng, MSCS, MA, PhD , Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Jiunn-Jye Sheu, PhD, MSPH, MCHES , Department of Health and Recreation Professions, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
INTRODUCTION: CDC's 2007 and 2009 YRBS data showed Floridian high school students had ascending trends of tobacco use and significant lower rate of ever tried to quit smoking than the national average. To promote tobacco prevention in K-12 schools, the Florida Department of Education offered the Statewide Online Tobacco Prevention and Intervention Teacher Training (SOTPTT) using TrainU, an online innovative training program featured tobacco prevention information, curriculum and resources, audiovisual instructions, and interactive activities, along with teaching 6 tobacco prevention lessons for teachers to receive 60 continuing education credits. This study evaluated student's learning outcomes after being taught by the trained teachers.

METHODS: A Logic Model was developed to guide this outcome evaluation study using a two-group quasi-experimental design. Survey instruments were pilot tested with satisfactory validity and reliability. Pre- and post-assessments over student's knowledge about tobacco hazards, refusal skills, media literacy, outcome expectations, and conclusive decision about tobacco were analyzed.

RESULTS: Three hundred twenty three teachers completed the Program and collected 6,490 pairs of valid student pre-/post assessments. On average, the students showed 24% improvement in their understanding about tobacco. In all grade levels, the post-assessment scores were higher than the pre-assessment scores with very high statistical significance in all aspects. The knowledge about media literacy was the most improved area found in the post-assessment and was found consistent across all grades.

IMPLICATIONS: The results indicated that the continuing education strategy attracted teacher's participation and significantly improved student's understanding in tobacco prevention. Continuation of the Program is recommended.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice

Learning Objectives:
1.Explain the statewide school tobacco prevention program via teacher's online continuing education 2. Identify student's improvement in learning outcomes after teacher's Online Teacher Continuing Education Program 3. Describe the barriers and future program improvements for the Online Teacher Continuing Education Program

Keywords: School-Based Programs, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I designed the study, collected and analyzed data, and wrote the report as an assistant professor USF Department of Health Education and Behavior; Director Health Informatics Laboratory. I conduct research/teach health education, informatics, epidemiology. I have multiple publications in professional journals presented numerous peer reviewed presentations at professional conferences. Research interests: youth tobacco prevention, child adolescent smoking acquisition, smoking survey instrument development/validation, college tobacco surveillance/program evaluation, health education/behavior, informatics, digitized instructional technology, quantitative methodology/statistics.
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.

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