Use of interactive health communication to affect smoking intentions in middle school students: a pilot test of the
Ross Shegog1, Alfred L McAlister, Shoahua Hu
1Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University of Texas School of Public Health, 7000 Fannin, Suite 2668, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Ross.Shegog@uth.tmc.edu
Purpose:
Developing and disseminating innovative and effective approaches for smoking prevention among middle school children remains a public health priority. This pilot study evaluates the use of a Web-based tobacco prevention program, Headbutt, to change intentions of middle school children to smoke tobacco.
Methods:
Headbutt was implemented with the use of a single-group pretest-posttest study design in sixth grade classes of nine middle schools in Texas (student n = 2227). The program assesses cognitive determinants of smoking and provides intervention feedback tailored to the child's responses.
Results:
Headbutt significantly affected smoking intentions, prosmoking attitudes, self-efficacy expectations, and knowledge of negative consequences (all p < or = .001) measured with scales adopted from the Texas Tobacco Initiative Survey. Change in prosmoking attitudes had the greatest predictive effect on smoking intentions (p < .001). These results were moderated by ethnicity and age of students.
Conclusion:
Findings need to be interpreted in the light of study design limitations. However, strong associations between the Headbutt program and intention change suggests that a more rigorous effectiveness trial is indicated.
