The Impact of an Educational Tobacco Intervention on College Students

Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Exhibit Hall Poster Area 2 (Convention Center)
Kelley E. Rhoads and Tina M. Penhollow, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL

Background/Purpose: College students comprise the youngest legal target for the tobacco industry (18 to 25 years old). The purpose of this study was to determine whether an educational tobacco intervention impacted college students' perceptions relative to tobacco and their general self-efficacy.

Method: The control and intervention groups consisted of a convenience sample of students from 2000-level health courses. The pre- and post-test questionnaire was administered to both groups which included questions regarding demographics, previous tobacco education, tobacco use (cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and hookah smoking), variables measuring the HBM (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy), and general self-efficacy. Data analysis was performed using SAS programs and included confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, frequency counts, and two-way ANOVA.

Analysis/Results: Three hundred and ten students completed both the pre- and post-test questionnaire for the control (N=136) and intervention (N=174) groups. To determine whether an educational tobacco intervention impacted students, two-way ANOVAs were conducted by group and time. The results for the HBM, as a set, was statistically significant for time [F(1,641)=9.0, p<0.01]. Individual HBM constructs also indicated significant differences: perceived susceptibility [F(1,645)=4.24, p<0.05]; perceived severity [F(1,645)=22.45, p<0.001]; perceived benefits [F(1,644)=4.06, p<0.05]; and cues to action [F(1,645)=7.60, p<0.01]. The results for general self-efficacy were significant between groups [F(1,632)=4.41, p<0.05].

Conclusions: Results suggest college students' perceptions, as measured by HBM variables, may be influenced by continued tobacco education. Individuals working in tobacco prevention should take these results into consideration when designing prevention or cessation programs.