Tobacco Prevention Using Social Skills Education and Puppet Scripts in an After-School Program

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of implementing a tobacco use prevention intervention using social skills education and puppet scripts in an afterschool program. A total of 75 K-2 students attending an afterschool program in a rural Midwest area participated in a 4-lesson youth development tobacco prevention curriculum and completed a pre-post tobacco knowledge quiz. Additionally, 10 program mentors completed a pre-post program strengths and difficulties (SDQ) questionnaire on their assigned students. A series of t-tests were computed to examine differences in the pre and post scores of participants on the SDQ subscales, and total scales and descriptive statistics were computed on the tobacco knowledge quiz. Statistically significant differences were noted on 4 pre–post subscales scores of the SDQ and the total SDQ. Use of youth development curriculum using interactive puppet-based strategies implemented in afterschool settings may be a feasible health education strategy.

“It’s Not Too Aggressive”: Key Features of Social Branding Anti-Tobacco Interventions for High-Risk Young Adults

Purpose. Peer crowd–targeted campaigns are a novel approach to engage high-risk young adults in tobacco use prevention and cessation. We elicited the perspectives of young adult key informants to understand how and why two social branding interventions were effective: (1) “COMMUNE,” designed for “Hipsters” as a movement of artists and musicians against Big Tobacco, and (2) “HAVOC,” designed for “Partiers” as an exclusive, smoke-free clubbing experience. Design. Qualitative study (27 semistructured qualitative phone interviews). Setting. Intervention events held in bars in multiple U.S. cities. Participants: Twenty-seven key informants involved in COMMUNE or HAVOC as organizers (e.g., musicians, event coordinators) or event attendees. Measures. We conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews. Participants described intervention events and features that worked or did not work well. Analysis. We used an inductive-deductive approach to thematically code interview transcripts, integrating concepts from intervention design literature and emergent themes. Results: Participants emphasized the importance of fun, interactive, social environments that encouraged a sense of belonging. Anti-tobacco messaging was subtle and nonjudgmental and resonated with their interests, values, and aesthetics. Young adults who represented the intervention were admired and influential among peers, and intervention promotional materials encouraged brand recognition and social status. Conclusion. Anti-tobacco interventions for high-risk young adults should encourage fun experiences; resonate with their interests, values, and aesthetics; and use subtle, nonjudgmental messaging.

Potential roles of school administrators and community-residing adults in tobacco use prevention in Nigerian college students: a viewpoint

Tobacco use is a key risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. On May 31 every year, World No Tobacco Day is celebrated to draw attention to the health risks and other risks related to tobacco use and to campaign for effective policies to minimize tobacco use. In this paper, we address important issues related to tobacco use, and highlight the potential roles of school administrators and community-residing adults in supporting college students in Nigeria in refraining from tobacco use. We argue that various stakeholders, including school administrators and community-residing adults, have important roles to play in providing community- and school-level support to college students to enable them to refrain from tobacco use. However, research is needed to empirically measure whether and how school administrators and community-residing adults have helped to reduce tobacco use in college students in Nigeria.