Jana Sczersputowski, BA, Educational Message Services, Inc., 2300 Alessandro Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA 93001, 805.653.6000, jana@educationalmessageservices.com and Mandi York, BS, CHES, Clark County Health District, 625 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89106.

Twenty-six percent of Nevada’s adult population smokes. The Break the Habit campaign, implemented by the Clark County Health District, reached college-aged young adults at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in an effort to increase the number of students who quit tobacco use by raising awareness about tobacco cessation services available to students on campus.

Break the Habit materials consisted of two educational displays with one take-away brochure. Based on a “narrowcast” methodology program materials were placed in public private spaces (such as stalls within restrooms) in key campus locations such as residence halls, student unions, the cafeteria and study halls, for the duration of the school year. This placement allowed the materials to become part of the school environment, exposing students to materials on a regular basis and consistently reminding students about services available to them.

Post survey data, analyzed by the UNLV Howard Canon Center, revealed that 44% of participants who had seen at least one message learned about smoking cessation services available on campus from the posters; 79% of survey participants thought the campaign was an effective approach to provide students with information; 5 out of 10 survey participants reported being exposed to the materials more than once a week. Process data showed that over 5,000 take-away brochures were picked up from the displays and the UNLV student health center reported students being referred to the health center by the displays.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that effective tobacco use prevention programs reaching college students recognize the campus environment as the most important determinant for smoking initiation and cessation, and focus on the development of knowledge and skills to support the decision to quit smoking.
• Gain insight into narrowcast social marketing strategies that change students' social environment and thereby impact their decision to quit tobacco use.
• Learn about the planning, implementation and evaluation of such effective college-based education programs.
• Understand the importance of linking tobacco-use education programs with access to cessation services.

Keywords: Public Health Education and Health Promotion, Tobacco

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Educational Message Services served as a subcontractor to the Clark County Health District with respect to the development and implementation of social marketing components.