Improving the Effectiveness of CounterTobacco.org as a Hub for Tobacco Control Point of Sale Advocates
Creators: name: Gill, Adrienne
name: Newman, Sarah
name: Jones, Chaunetta
name: Kennedy, Curran
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The retail environment, also known as the point of sale (POS), has been a lead channel for tobacco industry marketing, advertising, and promotions. In 2010, the tobacco industry spent over seven billion dollars to create a branded presence at the POS with price discounts and marketing materials such as signs and displays. Exposure to POS advertising and promotions prompts smoking initiation, encourages tobacco use, and undermines quit attempts. In response to this issue, Counter Tobacco created CounterTobacco.org as a one-stop"warehouse" for a growing POS tobacco control community comprised of advocates from city, county, and state health departments, non-profit organizations, and technical assistance organizations. The site aims to provide and maintain an up-to-date online resource center for tobacco control advocates interested in implementing POS regulations. The student team worked with Counter Tobacco to complete seven deliverables. Among those was a process evaluation that used qualitative and quantitative research methods to produce an analysis of the website's content and ease of use. Additionally, the team developed two pre-packaged lesson plans (Youth Engagement Activities) designed to raise awareness among youth on POS exposure and marketing. The team also created a storyboard for a YouTube-style web video to highlight the emphasis the tobacco industry places on creating a retail presence, the link between retail tobacco advertising and the health behaviors of youth and adults, and the disparities that exist in both retail density and advertising. The deliverables produced during the course of the Capstone project will have a measurable impact on Counter Tobacco and the POS advocacy field at-large. Student team deliverables have resulted in recommendations to improve users' experiences with CounterTobacco.org, such as shifting the site from a resource archive to a creative hub to help grow the nascent field of POS advocacy. Additionally, the two Youth Engagement Activities and web video are new and innovative tools for advocates to use in their own tobacco control efforts. Stakeholder engagement played a large role in accomplishing the goal of building CounterTobacco.org and its user community. The Capstone team engaged with stakeholders at all levels of the Social Ecological Framework (SEF), and this project reinforced the importance of ongoing stakeholder engagement, particularly when a program is to be evaluated for improvement. Given the emergence and growth of POS issues in tobacco control, sustainability efforts on the part of Counter Tobacco must meet the needs of the new field. The recommendations outlined by the Capstone student team in the process evaluation report will support CounterTobacco.org to establish itself as a creative hub for POS solutions. Through strategic planning, Counter Tobacco will continue to grow its brand presence and cement its position as the primary resource for tobacco control advocates working on POS issues.