Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to describe the implementation of a mixed methods evaluation to link tobacco control efforts with youth smoking prevalence.
Abstract:
Problem/Objective: State-based tobacco control programs do not easily lend themselves to rigid evaluation designs, making it difficult to determine the extent to which program activities contribute to measured reductions in youth smoking prevalence. We implemented an innovative methodology to examine the impact of the New Jersey’s Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) by linking program activities to outcomes.
Methods: A dataset was created that linked individual youth data (NJYTS) to county-level activities. Because the NJYTS is school-based, it allowed us to identify the residing county for each student. CTCP activities were examined at the county-level, including CAT (community), REBEL (youth), and TASE (access) activities. The analysis sought to determine if exposure to CTCP corresponded with changes in outcome indicators. Specifically, we examined whether the percent decrease for current and frequent cigarette use was greater in high activity areas than the statewide decline from 1999 to 2001 documented by the NJYTS.
Results:The results of this study indicate that exposure to CTCP activities was associated with reductions in youth smoking prevalence rates from 1999 to 2001. Areas with higher levels of activity in any one of the CTCP components measured – CAT REBEL, and TASE– showed larger decreases in youth smoking prevalence than did areas with lower levels of activity.
Conclusions:While there are limitations with this approach, the findings of this study encourage future repetitions of the methodology. Upcoming administrations of the NJYTS will expand the available data so that the associations between program activities and youth smoking prevalence can be measured over time.
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