1. Preliminary Results from
Evaluation of State-Sponsored Youth Tobacco Prevention Programming in Virginia: VCU’s Youth Tobacco Evaluation Project
Ilene S. Speizer1, Diane Baer Wilson1, Brian N. Smith2, Melanie Bean2, Ramesh Ramakrishnan3, Elizabeth Fries2
1Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health; 2Department of Psychology; 3Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA
Objective
Provide details of the Youth Tobacco Evaluation Project process and outcome evaluation of the 109 youth tobacco prevention programs funded by Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF)
Present human subject issues
Present lessons learned and preliminary results of the the pre-test outcome survey of youth in grades 6-12 (N=10,008)
Tobacco Prevention Activities
Skills-based
Peer-led
Parental involvement
Media
Cessation programs
Single vs. multiple session
Framework: Outcome Questionnaire Development
Compendium programs by targeted knowledge, attitudes, skills and
behavior impacts indicated in blue
Preliminary Results from
Pre-Test (N = 10,008)
Single session programs
CHAMPS
Life Skills Training
Positive Action
Teens Against Tobacco Use
Get Real About Tobacco
Here’s Looking at You
SMART Leaders
END
First Choice
Science Tobacco and You
Media Sharp
Anti Tobacco Media Blitz
Too Good for Drugs
PERSONAL
Knowledge of consequences
Functional meanings
Subjective expected utility
SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC
Age
Low SES
Developmental stage
Gender
Multiple session programs
Self esteem
Self efficacy
Self image
SMOKING STAGE
Preparatory 
Trying
Experimental
Regular Use
Addiction
ENVIRONMENTAL
Accessibility
Advertising
Life Skills Training
Here’s Looking at You
Positive Action
Personality
Psychological well-being
Skills for Action
Life Skills Training
Too Good for Drugs
NOT
END
Get Real
Parental use
Sibling use
Parental supervision
and strictness
Preparing for Drug Free Years
Strengthening Families
Skills for adolescents
Across Ages
Positive Action
Get Real about Tobacco
BEHAVIORAL
Academic achievement
Participation in sports & healthy behaviors
Positive Action
Science, Tobacco and You
Teens Against Tobacco Use
Positive Action
Heart Power
Across Ages
NOT, END
Get Real About Tobacco
Peer use
Social bonding
Normative
expectations
Teens Against Tob. Use
Here’s Looking at You
SMART Leaders
Too Good for Drugs
CHAMPS
Peer groups
Other ad. behavs. (risk-taking)
Life Skills Training; Skills for Adolescents; SMART Leaders; Too Good For Drugs; Strengthening Families; Here’s Looking at You; Positive Action, Teens Against Tobacco Use, CHAMPS, Anti Tobacco Media Blitz, NOT
Behavioral skills
Lessons Learned So Far
Local programs, coalitions, & school
boards have varying levels of evaluation
experience
Need detailed training for grantees
with less experience
Need evaluation component to be built
into the original funding RFA
Fielding the Evaluation
Grantees:
Required to participate to keep funding
Trained on use of evaluation tools
Regional trainings throughout VA in 2002
Support and follow-up on survey implementation
Sent program appropriate tools
Implement evaluation and return tools to YTEP
Major limitation of project is that we do not have survey implementation budget
Varying Target Populations and Sites for Activities
All youth grades pre K–12th grade in-class
and after school
At-risk youth
Pregnant or parenting youth - home visits
Delinquent youth – in suspension or juvenile court system
Parents of youth
Community settings (e.g., YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, Local coalitions, faith-based)
In first 10,008:
Able to create ids for 9445 individuals (94.4% of sample non-missing data)
Of these, 9054 have unique identifiers (96% unique, 301 non-unique)
90.5% of entire sample are uniquely identified
Anonymous Linking Scheme
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Limitations
Local implementation means low control over response and participation rates
Not possible to include control sites
Some more organized, better implemented programs started before tools developed
Data not representative of a specific location or community, just representative of youth participating in VTSF funded programs
Have representative sub-samples from school districts that surveyed all youth
Conclusions
Comprehensive design permits:
Comparison of multiple implementations of the same program across different locations and settings
Assessment of program fidelity
Evaluation of Instructor perspectives
Also possible to compare across varying programs for similar populations of youth
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Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation for financial support of this research. We also thank participating VTSF grantees for their participation and collaboration on this project.