Grantee Research Project Results
Program Evaluation of a Community Health Advisor ETS Intervention
EPA Grant Number: U916088Title: Program Evaluation of a Community Health Advisor ETS Intervention
Investigators: Lopez, Yuriko
Institution: San Diego State University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: January 1, 2002 through January 1, 2004
Project Amount: $48,957
RFA: Minority Academic Institutions (MAI) Fellowships for Graduate Environmental Study (2002) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice , Academic Fellowships , Fellowship - Social Sciences
Objective:
The objective of this research project is to evaluate the process of delivering an intervention designed to reduce ETS exposure among Latino children by trained community health advisors (CHAs).
Approach:
Although the negative health consequences of tobacco use among smokers have long been established, research also has established smoking-exposure illnesses in nonsmokers. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), commonly known as passive smoking, consists of both sidestream smoke emitted from the burning tip of a cigarette and mainstream smoke, which is inhaled, filtered, and exhaled by the smoker. Recent studies suggest that younger children are more susceptible to the adverse effects of ETS exposure than adults or older children. In addition, less educated and lower income groups are at the greatest risk for smoking and ETS exposure. Various forms of evaluation will be used, including formative, process, and outcome methods (Beurden, 1998). Formative evaluation will include a review of the literature on the CHA model and its effectiveness in providing services to hard-to-reach communities. Process evaluation will include an assessment of how CHAs implemented behavioral contracts in a larger ETS intervention study. Outcomes measures will be used as a direct measure of CHA-delivered intervention success, and will include parent-reported ETS exposure to the child as well as the children’s hair nicotine and cotinine concentration, measured at baseline and immediately postintervention. The proposed evaluation will provide information about intervention implementation and the primary outcome changes in the area of ETS reduction in Latino homes. Findings can be used to plan, enhance, and develop future programs. Because the evaluation is limited to existing data, the main risk to participants is breach of confidentiality. To minimize the risk of disclosing private information, identification numbers will be used in lieu of participant names.
Supplemental Keywords:
fellowship, environmental tobacco smoke, ETS, ETS exposure, tobacco use, community health advisors, CHAs, ETS intervention, Latino community, children.Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.