CANCER RISK REDUCTION AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS

THIS STUDY WILL DEVELOP AND PILOT TEST A COMPUTER-BASED, SKILLS INTERVENTION TO REDUCE CANCER RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH TOBACCO USE AND DIETARY HABITS AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS. DRAWING FROM THEORY AND PRIOR RESEARCH, WE WILL CONSTRUCT A SKILLS INTERVENTION TO PREVENT TOBACCO USE AND TO MODIFY DIETARY HABITS AMONG NATIVE AMERICAN ADOLESCENTS. SKILLS INTERVENTION WILL ENCOMPASS CULTURE AND LIFE-STYLE, INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, COPING WITH PEER PRESSURE, PROBLEM SOLVING, AND MEDIA INFLUENCES. FEASIBILITY TESTING OF A SOFTWARE VERSION OF SKILLS INTERVENTION WILL INVOLVE A RANDOMIZED, PRETEST AND POSTTEST, CONTROL-GROUP DESIGN. RANDOMLY, WE WILL SELECT ONE COMMUNITY AGENCY TO SERVE AS THE INTERVENTION DELIVERY, WITH TWO OTHER AGENCIES SELECTED TO SERVE AS CONTROL CONDITION SITES. YOUTHS RECRUITED FROM EACH SITE WILL RESPECTIVELY RECEIVE INTERVENTION OR NO INTERVENTION, DEPENDING N THE CONDITION ASSIGNMENT OF THEIR HOME AGENCY. ALL YOUTHS WILL COMPLETE PRETEST AND POSTTEST MEASUREMENT BATTERIES. YOUTHS IN THE INTERVENTION CONDITION WILL ADDITIONALLY TAKE PART IN PROCESS EVALUATION MEASUREMENTS.