Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
4-20-2011
Abstract
The purpose of this project was to assess undergraduate college students’ opinions of anti-tobacco marketing strategies. The college environment offers an excellent setting for implementation of smoking abstinence interventions for young adults. Freshmen students at Valparaiso University were invited to join group sessions in the residence halls to evaluate anti-tobacco YouTube videos, print materials, and Quit Kit materials. Undergraduate nursing students functioned as group session facilitators. Participants (N = 39) included: 59% males, 87% non-smokers, and 92% who chose to attend for CORE credit. YouTube videos were found to be effective if a dramatic, age appropriate, simple message was connected to tobacco use. Print materials were effective if they included bright colors, brief statistics, few words, humor, and were immediately relevant. Quit Kit materials were selected if they included humor, pictures, had few words, and were useful. Quit Kits items included cozies, chip clips, stress relievers, and cinnamon flavored gum. Ninety-two percent indicated that their opinions about smoking, second-hand smoke exposure, and decisions whether to smoke were affected by these sessions. Data from this study will add to the growing body of evidence about college students’ opinions concerning marketing strategies and form a foundation for a longitudinal study of students’ changing opinions toward smoking.
Recommended Citation
Jachcinski, Kara; Block, Meranda; Berry, Caitlin; Paczkowski, Lauren; Bernhard, Emily; and Matejczyk, Nathan, "Opinions about Anti-Tobacco Marketing Strategies from the Undergraduate Student Perspective" (2011). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 47.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/47
