Matt Kuntz Concordia University MPH-515 August 2014

 Baseball has been one of the most popular sports worldwide for both children and adults for many years.  No matter what age, organization, league, or level, smokeless tobacco will negatively affect millions of baseball players and their families.  Smokeless tobacco products contain at least 28 cancer- causing chemicals.  Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of premature death.  Worldwide, tobacco use causes more than 5 million deaths per year.

 T-ball  Have no previous knowledge towards tobacco. Educating this age before they start is very important.  High School  Teens will try anything in order to fit in.  College  College age kids have the attitude that nothing can hurt them.  Professional Baseball  These players are role models for many kids around the world.

 Social Influenced Model  Results of this program showed that kid’s perceived use of tobacco was associated with the environment where they lived.  Transtheoretical Model (TMC)  Intervention programs using the TMC have quit rates approaching 20 percent (Anczak & Nogler, 2003).  Health Belief Model (HBM)  Results of the study showed that health education based on the HBM was very effective in motivating users to enroll in tobacco cessation programs.

 “The primary construct of this model is predicated on the basis that behavior change will occur only when sufficient benefits remain after subtracting the costs incurred by performing the behavior” (DiClemente et al., 2013).  This model consists of perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, modifying factors, perceived threat, and expected net gain.

PERCEIVED SEVERITY PERCEIVED SUSCEPTIBILITY  Provide an educational newsletter with pictures that would instill fear for each of the four levels of baseball that is age appropriate and concentrates on the severe consequences of chewing tobacco.  In the educational piece given to all baseball players, I will incorporate the life story of Tony Gwynn who died of salivary gland cancer due to the use of chewing tobacco.

 Upon signing up to play, all players at every level would have to review this information and sign a tobacco free contract that states they understand the risks associated with chewing tobacco and they will refrain from its use.  Coaches will be provided with their own contract to sign stating they will not use tobacco around their players or at any baseball related activities.  Mandatory meeting for all players to review this information with coaches and commissioners will be required before the season starts.

MODIFYING FACTORSPERCEIVED THREAT  Since baseball players have tight relationships and a brotherhood quality, my program will play into this feature by instilling comradery, familiarity, and sociability in the meetings that are to be held at the beginning of the year.  Perceived severity and perceived susceptibility combines to directly influence the likelihood of engaging in healthy behaviors.

Net Gain  The expected net gain and benefits of being tobacco free must outweigh the idea of using tobacco on the baseball field.  Increasing the perceived value of benefits that can be expected from not using tobacco.  Decreasing the perceived barriers and modifying factors.  Promote a healthy lifestyle to become better baseball players.