THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT 

Evaluation Documentation

Roger H. Secker-Walker, John K. Worden, Brian S. Flynn, Takamaru Ashikaga, Allan S. Detsky: A Mass Media Program to Prevent Smoking: Costs, Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness. In Preparation.

Costs-Benefit: The estimated total costs (direct and indirect) for CHD, COPD and lung cancer, attributable to smoking, that would be saved, because there will be fewer smokers, would be $8,448,019 for CHD, $27,765,428 for COPD, and $6,344,592 for lung cancer. For each dollar invested in developing, producing and broadcasting this mass media campaign, $11 would be saved by avoiding CHD, $37 by avoiding COPD, and $8 by avoiding lung cancer.

Conclusion: Estimates of the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of this four year mass media campaign in preventing the onset of smoking showed it to compare very favorably with other preventive strategies.

Flynn BS, Worden JK, Secker-Walker RH, Pirie PL, Badger GJ, Carpenter JH, Geller BM: Mass media and school interventions for cigarette smoking prevention - effects two years after completion. American Journal of Public Health, 84:1148-1150, 1994.

The relative reduction in smoking prevalence was 31% for the media-plus-school group. Results were internally consistent and specific to cigarette smoking. Reductions in adolescent smoking prevalence achieved by combined mass media and school programs, relative to school programs only, (odds ratio = 0.62, 95% confidence limits 0.49-0.78) persisted two years after completion of the interventions.

Worden JK, Flynn BS, Geller BM, et al: Development of a smoking prevention mass media program using diagnostic and formative research. Preventive Medicine 17:531-558, 1988.

The process of developing a mass media campaign to prevent smoking among adolescents is described in detail. This campaign supplements a school smoking prevention program and shares educational objectives with it, but otherwise is independent.

Worden JK, Flynn BS, Solomon LJ, Secker-Walker RH, Badger GJ, Carpenter JH: Preventing smoking among adolescent girls using mass media. In press, Health Education Quarterly, 1996.

We examined the process of developing a mass media smoking prevention intervention targeted to adolescent girls at risk of smoking, and assessed outcomes by gender. Through diagnostic and formative research, media program elements were targeted toward high risk youth using themes especially appealing to girls.

Flynn BS, Worden JK, Secker-Walker RH, Pirie PL, Badger GJ, Carpenter JH: Long-term effects of smoking prevention interventions in higher risk youths. Submitted for publication, 1996.

Targeted mass media and school interventions produced sustained reduction in smoking among higher risk youngsters two years after completion of the interventions. This educational strategy may represent a uniquely effective method for communicating with this high priority group.

Flynn BS, Worden JK, Secker-Walker RH, Badger GJ, Carpenter JH: Cigarette smoking prevention effects of mass media and school interventions on cross-sectional adolescent populations followed into secondary school. In preparation.

The combined media and school interventions reduced the long-term prevalence of cigarette smoking among cross-sectional student populations. This effect appears to have been achieved among students with both higher and lower levels of intervention exposure. Wider use of intensive and well-targeted prevention programs could have substantial effects on smoking adoption among higher risk adolescents.

Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People. A Report of the Surgeon General, pages 239-245. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Smoking and Health, 1994. This report places the methods and results of this study in the context of other findings, and provides a description of the cost-effectiveness of this approach to smoking prevention. This project also will be reviewed in detail in the 1996 Surgeon General's Report.

Flynn BS, Worden JK, Secker-Walker RH, Badger GJ, Geller BM: Cigarette smoking prevention effects of mass media and school interventions targeted to gender and age groups. Journal of Health Education - March/April 1995 Supplement, Volume 26, No. 2 (S45-S51)

This study showed that a combination of school and mass media interventions can significantly reduce cigarette smoking prevalence throughout adolescence.