290580
Promoting smoking cessation in US hispanic adult smokers: Lessons learned from the smokefree espanol program
Shani Taylor, MHS,
Marketing, Interactive, and Technology Division, ICF International, Rockville, MD
Yvonne Hunt, PhD, MPH,
Tobacco Control Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD
Erik Augustson, PhD, MPH,
Tobacco Control Research Branch, Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD
Background: The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Smokefree Español project, the first federal Spanish language smoking cessation website, provides web and mobile cessation resources for Hispanic American smokers. Accounting for the unique smoking behaviors, motivations, and cessation needs of Hispanic Americans, Smokefree Español offers users a tailored smoking cessation guide, interactive online quit tools, and free, culturally appropriate information on smoking topics. Throughout 2013, Smokefree Español implemented an aggressive outreach plan to promote awareness and use of the program amongst Hispanic American smokers. This presentation will focus on results and lessons learned from this outreach. Methods: As part of an overarching outreach plan, Smokefree Español ran three promotions throughout 2013: a two week New Year's web-based promotion of the Smokefree TXT en Español text messaging cessation service; a multi-week promotion of the Smokefree Español website; and a month long promotion of the re-designed website. Adopting an iterative approach, each promotion was expanded and honed using lessons learned from previous efforts. Results: Quantitative indicators of outreach effectiveness will be presented. Programmatic lessons learned will be discussed, including strategies for Spanish language outreach to US Hispanics, the effectiveness of dissemination tactics, and the importance of mobile outreach. Conclusions: The Smokefree Español program is one of the few smoking cessation resources that engage Hispanic American smokers in their native language. Results indicate that Spanish language outreach in the United States can be a viable strategy for health practitioners, but only if extensive formative research is undertaken and culturally appropriate tactics are implemented.
Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Learning Objectives:
Describe strategies and tactics for promoting Spanish language health resources to Hispanic Americans
Discuss the influence of mobile technologies with regard to lessening the digital divide and promoting healthy behaviors in Hispanic Americans
Explain the development, dissemination, and evaluation of a national health promotion targeted at Spanish language Hispanic Americans
Keyword(s): Smoking Cessation, Hispanic
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to be an abstract Author on the content I am responsible for because I am the Smokefree Espanol Project Manager. I oversee all aspects of the project, including promotions, content, and strategic planning.
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.
