Lowering Smoking &amp; ETS Risks in Immigrant Pacific Rim Youth
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: This project addresses four of the TRDRP research priorities directly and provides findings relevant to the fifth. We will develop and test a school and family program for 1) preventing youth from becoming cigarette smokers, 2) preventing progression to higher levels of use and encourage cessation for those already initiated to smoking, and 3) reducing youthful exposure to ETS, 4) all among targeted groups of Californians who are at high risk of becoming users, specifically the youth of Pacific Rim immigrant populations. Results will be disseminated to education and public health officials 5) to inform tobacco prevention and control policy decisions. Latino (L) and Asian Pacific Island (API) youth together make up the majority of students in California public schools, and by the year 2025 will constitute more than 3/4 of the state's public school population. The risk of smoking progresses with acculturation for immigrants in California and first developmental period for accelerated is early adolescence, age 11 12. In Study 1, four classroom/home modules will be developed for smoking prevention and ETS exposure reduction: 1) an empirically based social normative module made specific particular to PM youth, 2) an infusion module incorporating tobacco prevention programming into basic math, English, and social sciences curricula, c) a respiratory effects module addressing immediate impact of smoking and ETS on respiratory health, and d) an environmental control module for guiding parents and youth in making modifications in the home and elsewhere for reducing exposure to ETS. These models will be developed specifically to address opportunities and barriers to smoking and ETS prevention deriving from API or Latino cultures. One set each will be developed specific to L cultures and to API cultures and pilot tested in Study 1. The final modules will be tested through two years of intervention in Study 2, involving three waves of survey and biological (expired CO) measures. Data from two companion projects, Project 3 and Project 4, will inform the second year module and measures. California middle schools with significant PM enrollment will be stratified according to specific API and L enrollment, and English language literacy rates. Sixteen matched pairs of schools will be assigned randomly to program intervention plus measures, or measures only. Those in the measurement only condition will receive program modules and teacher training at the end of two years. Modules will be matched for the; majority/largest minority (L or API) school population PM youth in schools receiving the program modules are expected to evidence lower levels of post test lifetime smoking, 30 day smoking, and smoking intentions than those not receiving the modules. Students receiving modules matching their ethnicity are expected to benefit most in smoking and ETS reduction. Students receiving modules not matched for their ethnicity are also expected to benefit in reduced tobacco exposures, but less than those receiving culturally relevant modules. The results will be fed back to the TRDRP and the California Department of Education to inform policy decision makers, curriculum developers, teachers, and parents about more effective ways to prevent smoking and ETS exposure for members of PM cultures.