AHA Tobacco Regulatory Science and Addiction Center (A-TRAC)

Project 3: Tobacco Addiction and Communication 1. Analyze tobacco use behaviors in the Jackson Heart Study cohort. The JHS protocol involved the collection of systematic data on smoking and tobacco use at baseline and subsequent time points. These data will be used in order to report the prevalence of current, never, and former cigarette smoking and other tobacco use patterns, as well as factors that moderate those patterns. Findings will be published in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Louisville and other sites. 2. Conduct focus groups to examine channel use characteristics (e.g., what are the most frequent channels for seeking tobacco and other health-related communications), along with the influence of factors that may modify these choices, such as age, gender, education, knowledge and attitudes about tobacco, nicotine dependence, family and peer tobacco use, environmental conditions, cost, and social support, both in general and in relation to racial / ethnic subgroups. 3. Conduct a second set of focus groups to cross validate initial findings and initial concepts for media campaign, prior to finalizing plans for media campaign development. 4. Implement a media intervention to aid tobacco quit attempts and cessation. With the assistance of AHA’s marketing and communications capacities, specifically designed health communications will be evaluated regarding the impact on quit attempts, cessation, and use of treatment resources among vulnerable smokers. These will be designed for different ethnic and socioeconomic groups, and tested in appropriate communities. Pre / post-intervention data analytic methods will be employed to evaluate awareness of the message and recognition of communications.