Search

Introduction: Communicating the risks associated with nicotine and tobacco use to adolescents can be challenging, especially with the current tobacco market's attempt to capture the attention of youths. Text message interventions have emerged to address the need to improve tobacco risk communication. This article informs the design of a message library for tobacco risk communication that is based on the transtheoretical model and addresses the risk of multiple tobacco products. Methods: We draw findings from this study from two phases. Phase 1 involved six remote focus group discussions (n = 25) and an in-depth interview, and Phase 2 involved online ideation sessions (n = 11) that led to the current version of the messages. We conducted the study within a larger project for the design and testing of a tobacco prevention program. With thematic analysis and the affinity mapping technique, two research team members identified repeated topics and relevant quotes to organize them into themes and subthemes. Results: In Phase 1, thematic analysis revealed four major themes: 1) Adolescents' gap in tobacco knowledge, 2) Social influence and popularity, 3) Attitude toward marketing, and 4) Text message framing preferences. During Phase 2, participants generated 1-to-7 iterations of the original messages. Votings and discussions resulted in a library of 306 messages under 7 sections, categorized based on the processes of change from the transtheoretical model. Conclusion: The current study presents key insights crucial for developing and evaluating a library of tobacco prevention text messages that is scientifically valid and successfully resonates with today's adolescents. Our future plan is to go beyond this initial message development and vet the message library by adolescents and expert reviewers in tobacco risk communication. Future research may consider developing messages that are tailored based on gender, ethnicity, and other factors that are predictive of tobacco use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Considering the dangers of adolescent tobacco use, the successful design of behavioral programs is crucial for tobacco prevention. According to preliminary research, social game interventions can improve adolescent tobacco outcomes. The current qualitative study aims to (1) uncover the gaming elements that adolescents deem important for a positive learning experience, and (2) confirm these gaming elements with adolescents who are presented with a tobacco prevention game concept that applies these elements. Methods: Findings from this study are drawn from two phases. Phase 1 involved in-person focus group discussions (n = 15) and Phase 2 included three online focus groups and a paired interview with another set of adolescents (n = 15). The study was conducted under a project that aimed to design and test a social game-based tobacco prevention program for adolescents (Storm-Heroes). With open coding and thematic analysis, two research team members identified repeated topics and relevant quotes to organize them into themes. The themes evolved as new content was identified during the process. This process was repeated until thematic saturation was reached. Results: Thematic analysis across Phase 1 and Phase 2 revealed four major themes: 1) Balance during gaming challenges, 2) Healthy social interaction, 3) Performance and creative freedom, and 4) Fictional world and game mechanics for tobacco prevention. Conclusion: This study identified specific intervention features that best fit the needs of adolescents in the context of a social game for tobacco prevention. For future research, we will use a participatory approach to allow adolescents to take part in the design process, improve Storm-Heroes, and develop health promotional messages that can be incorporated into the program. Ultimately, a board game for tobacco prevention is expected to bring adolescents together to create lasting memories that nudge them away from tobacco use and the harm it can cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco smoking remains a public health problem among adolescents in the United States. While Web-based interventions for smoking prevention have been successful at the individual level, there is still an urgent need to understand their engagement capabilities and their effects at the social level. In the current study, we aimed to (1) learn about adolescents' subjective experience with a Web-based program called a smoking prevention interactive experience (ASPIRE), (2) obtain suggestions for improvement in ASPIRE content, (3) identify psychological outcomes of ASPIRE, and (4) explore outcomes of social interaction. After a randomized controlled trial with 110 adolescents, 20 adolescent users of ASPIRE, aged 11–18, were randomly selected to participate in one-on-one interviews at four after-school programs in Houston, Texas. Interviews involved questions concerning adolescents' experience with the intervention. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using a constant comparison approach for the generation of themes. Describing their experience with ASPIRE, participants expressed comfort in material that is tailored to their demographic and preferred interactive activities over entertaining videos. Presenting suggestions for improvement, participants mainly reported the need to include gaming features into ASPIRE. Presenting psychological outcomes, they expressed emotional engagement in the program, shifts in attitudes and beliefs, and unwillingness to smoke. Finally, as outcomes of social interaction, participants reported engagement with others in discussions about tobacco and their need to hold smokers accountable for their actions. Adolescents' reports moved from their individual experience with ASPIRE to their active interactions with family members and friends and their attempt to persuade others to quit smoking. Future Web-based programs for adolescents may be designed with tailoring and game play in mind, in order to provide mobilization skills and foster social interactions against smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]