Paper
Saturday, 22 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Smoking Cessation Strategies
Social Cognitive Theory in Tobacco Prevention Television Commercials for Tweens
Anne Bongiorno, PhD, APRN, BC, Department of Nursing, SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, USA
Learning Objective #1: describe how Social Cognitive Theory is a sound theoretical basis for mass media public health messages about tobacco prevention.
Learning Objective #2: examine how various message designs implement social cognitive theory into their delivery.
            Effective health communication is a vital part of nursing practice in tobacco prevention, yet nurses seldom research or discuss the theory and methodology that is critical for attainment of positive health outcomes. Childhood initiation into tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of cancers. There is evidence that smoking behaviors in youth can be changed through effective health communication but little is known about how to systematically design and evaluate messages to achieve this outcome (Hornik, 2002). This paper will report on how Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) based tobacco prevention messages (spots) were well received by youth. SCT is a credible framework for mass media health promotion aimed at preventing cigarette smoking in youth (Bandura, 1986; Worden & Flynn, 2004).  Studies examining SCT have established that social influences are effective methods to change behavior but have not addressed how to best design a message that is liked by youth. We do know that liking is an important precursor to effectiveness of spots, in how youth make decisions about smoking (Worden, 1997).  This between subjects, descriptive correlational study used a convenience sample (n=375) of youth to rate how they liked 10 SCT based spots. Correlations between liking and the design elements were all statistically significant, but were of different magnitudes (p<.05), based on subgroups of gender, ethnicity, and grade level. The results of the study, showing how specific SCT based design elements were liked by subgroups of African American and White boys and girls in grades 5-8, will be shared.  Nurses must find a sound method to alleviate the burden of disease caused by youth smoking initiation; a behavior that can be influenced by communication. These findings should be a key factor for nurses involved in tobacco prevention, tobacco prevention policy, and health communication.

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