The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #58897

Jane Z. Reardon, MSN¹, Michelle M. Cloutier, MD², Sandra J. Hart³, and Dorothy B. Wakefield, M/S². (1) Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Hartford Hospital, 80 Seymour Street, P. O. Box 5037, Hartford, CT 06102, (860) 545-2302, jreardo@harthosp.org, (2) Asthma Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106, (3) Director, Asthma Programs, American Lung Association of Connecticut, 45 Ash Street, East Hartford, CT 06108

Purpose: Most children receive little lung health education and are vulnerable to peer pressure in regard to smoking. The benefits of a brief, interactive multimedia intervention were assessed in a pilot group of middle school-aged children. Methods: A Winnebago van, donated to the American Lung Association of Connecticut (ALAC), was professionally re-designed to become a mobile classroom. The Breath Express van was designed to raise awareness and change attitudes about smoking, asthma and the environment and uses a combination of posters, interactive videos and displays. Middle school students (mean age 10.2 ± 0.1 years) received an 11 question pre-test designed to measure lung health knowledge and self-efficacy regarding smoking advocacy and avoidance and clean air and an identical 11 question post-test after touring the van. Summary of Results: 253 children completed both the pre and post-test. After the tour, there was a significant increase in knowledge scores (p<0.001) and in self-efficacy (p<0.0001). The proportion of children who did not think that they would smoke in the next year increased from 89% to 94% (p<0.03) after the tour. Conclusion: In the short term, a brief, interactive multimedia intervention can increase knowledge and change attitudes toward smoking in middle school students.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the tour, the participant will be able to:
• Identify 6 adverse health effects of smoking
• Articulate that second hand smoke affects people with asthma.

Keywords: Asthma, Smoking

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.