Development of Resource Kit for Adolescent Cessation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Five hundred thirty-four counties in 18 states are home to 29,497,852 persons and grow tobacco. Data indicate youth in these areas use tobacco earlier and use it more frequently. Tobacco communities have a unique perspective based on the cultural, social, and economic import of tobacco which requires a sensitive approach to adolescent cessation efforts. This project will develop a culturally congruent Resource Kit for Adolescent Tobacco Cessation in Tobacco-Growing Communities. The project will target tobacco-using males and females in high school. Based upon formative research conducted in tobacco-producing communities, Toborg Associates will develop a cessation curriculum, related health education materials, and short videos. In a randomized controlled pre-test/post-test study, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) will assess the efficacy of the curriculum and related materials. PIRE will randomize 20 NC schools in large tobacco-growing communities into experimental and control conditions, enrolling an average of 24 tobacco using youth in each school. Toborg Associates will conduct a pre-test prior to the intervention and implement the full curriculum in the experimental schools as well as an intervention that controls for attention and content in the control schools. At the end of the 6-week intervention, PIKE will conduct a post-test of youth in both conditions and biochemically validate self-reports concerning the use and non-use of tobacco. PIRE will conduct a follow-up survey at three months after post-test and again biochemically validate self-reports.