Deschutes Research, Inc.

Applying Science  . . .  Promoting Health
 
 Home     Projects    Products     News    Resources    Careers    About us    Staff    Contact us
 
 

DRI Tobacco-related Projects

 

To learn more about our current projects, please select one of the following:

To read about our completed tobacco projects, please select one of the following:

 
 

Tobacco Zero: Teaching Kids to Resist Social Influences to Use Tobacco

 

This Phase II project was funded by the National Cancer Institute. The project has developed an engaging interactive CD-ROM program that will be used as an adjunct to the tobacco education and prevention curricula taught in middle schools.

The program will be designed to change specific mediating mechanisms, which are theoretically linked to the intentions to experiment with and use tobacco. These include social images, beliefs about short and long term health consequences, perceptions of social images, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. The beta version is cuurently being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial in 58 middle school health education classes.

  TobaccoZeroLogo
 

Tobacco Zero© will be available from Applied Behavior Science Press in Spring 2009.
 

^ top of page
 
 

Tobacco World©: Interactive Tobacco Education for Middle School Students

 

Purpose: To create an engaging interactive computer-based program to supplement tobacco education curricula in middle schools.

Design: Game-like activities are selected from a map interface which opens an activity targeting mediating mechanisms of tobacco initiation and use. The program is designed to cover a range of topics and promote preventive effects with students in 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

The Tobacco World program is a CD-ROM which can be installed on a computer hard drive or run directly off the CD on either PC or Macintosh platforms. The entire program takes between two and three class periods to complete. Brief quizzes at the end of each activity reinforce the information learned.
  Tobacco World Map

 

The Tobacco World map gives students access to nine game-like tobacco education and prevention activies.
 

Addiction Island

Addiction Island

Students learn about tobacco cessation
and how to help others quit.

Alien Autopsy

Alien Autopsy

Students learn about the effects of second-
hand smoke on various body systems.
 

Evaluation: Tobacco World is designed to reduce intentions to use tobacco through changing attitudes, social images, beliefs about short and long term health consequences, perceptions of social images, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. This program was evaluated in a randomized controlled trial with 56 classrooms in Oregon and California. The sample of treatment and control subjects included 1,498 middle school students. Baseline, consumer satisfaction (intervention only) and one month follow-up measures were collected.

Conclusion: The Tobacco World program offers an engaging adjunct to current health education curricula that can enhance learning and can prevent tobacco use initiation. Students enjoyed the opportunity to learn via an interactive computer-based program.

 

Tobacco World© can be purchased from

^ top of page
 
 

Chewer's Choice

 

Funding Period: 08/01/2000 - 07/31/2002

Principal Investigator: Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.

This project developed an interactive smokeless tobacco cessation program for adults to be used as a CD-ROM application for desktop computers. A desktop version of the program for both MacIntosh and PC formats was prepared for a full commercial release.

 

View the Final Report for this project.

Chewer's Choice© can be purchased from

 

^ top of page
 
 

X-Chew Challenge

 

Under contract from the State of Oregon, the X-Chew Challenge project adapted the Chewer's Choice© smokeless tobacco (ST) cessation for adults CD-ROM for an adolescent audience, testing it with 100 students between the ages of 15 and 18. The subjects for evaluation were drawn from 10 high schools located in several counties throughout Oregon. We worked closely with county tobacco coordinators and school district personnel to recruit student participants to evaluated the program.
 

 
 

X-Chew Challenge© can be purchased from

 

^ top of page
 
 

College and University Tobacco Interactive Education

 

Funding Period: 05/01/2005 - 10/31/2005

Principal Investigator: Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.

The primary goal of this Phase I project was to develop a prototype program and evaluate the program for usability, consumer satisfaction and efficacy in a pilot study. The hybrid CD-ROM/Web-based program was designed to provide information to tobacco users about tobacco and cessation to meet the specific needs and experiences of 18-24 year old college smokers.
 

View the Final Report for this project.
 

^ top of page
 
 

Computer-Assisted Tobacco Prevention for Adolescents

 

Funding Period: 08/06/2003 - 04/30/2004

Principal Investigator: Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.

The primary goal of this project was to develop an interactive computer-based program that used an innovative interface concept, high-intensity graphics and a variety of game-like activities to engage adolescents in the issues of tobacco use. The prototype program, titled "Tobacco World", included a strong focus on preventing the initiation of cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use among young people, and included a cessation module to motivate and assist adolescent users in their efforts to stop using tobacco products.
 

View the Final Report for this project.
 

^ top of page
 
 

A Dental Education Program in Tobacco

 

Funding Period: 09/15/2000 - 07/31/2005

Principal Investigator: Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.

The primary goal of "A Dental Education Program in Tobacco" (ADEPT) project was to develop an interactive CD-ROM program to train Dental Health Care Workers (DHCWs) to provide brief, office-based tobacco cessation interventions to patients. The program, now called "Help Your Patients Quit"© provides dental health care workers with a step-by-step approach using the "5As": Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange.
 

View the Final Report for this project.

Help Your Patients Quit© can be purchased from

 

^ top of page
 
 

Interactive Smokeless Tobacco Cessation for Adolescents

 

Funding Period: 07/15/2002 - 06/30/2003

Principal Investigator: Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.

The Phase I task was the production and evaluation of a prototype for an interactive tobacco prevention/cessation program for adolescents. This prototype program, titled "Spitworld" uses computer-based technologies to deliver tailored content and strategies to prevent initiation and reduce use of ST among adolescents. Combining video, graphics, and text to educate middle school students, the program provides resources that address both the risks of ST, as well as offering a cessation program for students interested in quitting.

View the Final Report for this project.
 

^ top of page