Learning Objectives: Develop and integrate measures of change of social norms in tobacco control program evaluation.
Abstract:
Problem/Objective:
Many statewide tobacco control programs explicitly or implicitly base their strategy on the theory of social norms: (a) behavior and attitudes are affected by one’s perceptions of what is literally normative (most people do it) or socially accepted behavior; and (b) if the predominant attitude in a community shifts towards limiting tobacco use, actual use will decline.
Tobacco control programs impement this theory by changing people’s overestimates of smoking prevalence and by changing people’s positive or neutral attitudes about smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Strategies range from social marketing to enacting and enforcing regulations on tobacco use to creating smoke-free youth “movements.”
Our objective is to demonstrate whether this approach is effective.
Methods:
Using surveys of Massachusetts residents, we measured changes in behaviors and attitudes among smokers and non-smkers about tobacco over six years, controlling for demographic differences among samples and demographic change over time.
Results:
We will: (A)demonstrate the theory using specific examples; (B) define outcomes being used to measure social change by various researchers; (C) present the Massachusetts experience: which state-wide norms changed? how long did it take? did some norms change before others?
Discussion: We will discuss the implications of these findings on the development of tobacco control programming – which attitudes are most changeable? – and process evaluation measures – which measures are most demonstrative?
Note: This presentation complements “An analysis of the relationship between tobacco control strategies and changes in community and individual attitudes and behaviors in Massachusetts” (researcher Tandiwe Njobe).
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