Donald W. Helme

Understanding the Process: How Mediated and Peer Norms Affect Young Women's Body Esteem

This study examined the contribution of interpersonal and mediated perceived norms to young womens body esteem among first-year college women. In addition, we examined the role of social comparison as a mediator for the relationship between norms and body esteem. Several findings were notable. First, interpersonal norms do have a significant relationship with esteem. Young women who perceived that their peers and parents to valued thinness, and that parents made comments about body appearance, had lower body esteem. In addition, mediated norms also were related to lower appearance and weight esteem. Specifically, exposure to fashion, celebrity and fitness magazines had a negative effect on young womens appearance esteem; however, this relationship was mediated by social comparison, suggesting that comparison is the mechanism by which esteem is lowered. However, for fitness magazines, the relationship between exposure and esteem was direct and held up even when social comparison was controlled for.

Tobacco Use by College Students: A Comparison of Daily and Nondaily Smokers

OBJECTIVES To explore demographics, contextual factors, and health risk behaviors associated with nondaily smoking by college students. METHODS In fall 2005, a random sample of 4100 students completed an online survey. RESULTS Of those surveyed, 29% reported current smoking; of that 29%, 70% were nondaily smokers. Compared to daily smokers, nondaily smokers were younger, African American (compared to white), had mothers with higher education, belonged to Greek organizations, and attended private (vs public) schools. Nondaily smokers were less likely to have used illicit drugs. CONCLUSIONS Nondaily and daily smokers differed on several demographic and contextual factors, but reported mostly similar health risk behaviors.

Authoritative parenting and sensation seeking as predictors of adolescent cigarette and marijuana use.

Adolescents with high sensation-seeking tendencies often seek out thrill seeking experiences to satisfy their need for stimulation and sensation. In many cases, sensation-seeking adolescents fulfill their need for stimulation and sensation by using illicit substances. However, not all high sensation seekers use drugs, although the factors that prevent or buffer sensation seeking remain unexplored. This study fills this gap in extant research by examining the role of authoritative parenting as a protective factor that prevents or buffers cigarette and marijuana use by adolescents with high sensation-seeking tendencies. Data from 1,461 adolescents attending 6th through 8th grades in central Colorado were gathered during a semester-long classroom-based intervention to prevent the onset or further use of cigarettes. Results indicate that authoritative parenting moderated the effect of sensation seeking on adolescent marijuana attitudes, intentions, and peer influence but not behaviors. Further, authoritative parenting was a stronger influence than sensation seeking on cigarette-related outcomes with just the opposite effect observed for marijuana-related outcomes.

A Classroom-Administered Simulation of a Television Campaign on Adolescent Smoking: Testing an Activation Model of Information Exposure

In recent years, research has shown that mass media can be used effectively either alone or in conjunction with interpersonal and institutional channels, such as schools. Much has yet been be learned about the application of newer, more effective strategies for media campaigns for adolescent smoking prevention interventions. This article describes a study applying an activation model of information exposure and a sensation-seeking targeting approach to the design of a smoking prevention campaign for adolescents. The participants were 1,272 middle school students aged 12–14 from across the Colorado Front Range who were stratified by their level of sensation seeking and then exposed to both high and low sensation value anti tobacco public service announcements (PSAs) at three time points. Hypothesized effects of the intervention on the primary dependent measures—attitudes (against smoking) and behavioral intentions not to smoke—were strongly supported for high sensation seekers. Further support is offered from the secondary indicators, self-efficacy, perceived message effectiveness, and perceived risk from smoking. No differences were demonstrated, however, in message effects between those selected by focus groups to be high in sensation value and those selected to be low in sensation value.

In-Depth Investigation of Interpersonal Discussions in Response to a Safer Sex Mass Media Campaign

We know from theory and limited research that people talk about campaign messages—and that these conversations may play an important role in campaign reach and possibly even efficacy. We know very little, however, about what individuals talk about and with whom they talk. The current study seeks to fill this gap by reporting qualitative and descriptive quantitative data from interviews conducted with 139 young adults about conversations that took place in the context of a large, televised safer sex mass media campaign. Results indicated that public service announcements (PSAs) were often viewed in the company of friends and significant others, and that it was not uncommon for conversations about the PSAs to take place. Three broad categories of conversations that took place involved discussions about PSA realism, the seriousness of the message, and humor. While in some cases conversations seemed to advance the goal of the campaign (e.g., participants discussed sexually transmitted disease [STD] risk and condom use), in other cases they did not (e.g., participants discussed the lack of realism in a particular PSA). Implications for campaign theory, design, and implementation are discussed.

Predicting Disordered Eating Intentions Among Incoming College Freshman: An Analysis of Social Norms and Body Esteem

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between parental influence, peer norms, body esteem, and disordered eating intentions in a sample of incoming college freshmen women. A total of 427 incoming female college freshmen from a private university in the southeastern United States were surveyed as part of a larger study. Results indicated that body esteem moderated the relationship between parent thinness norms, parent encouragement norms, parent communicative norms, peer acceptability norms, and peer prevalence norms on disordered eating intentions. There was no significant interaction between body esteem and peer thinness norms. These results suggest that efforts to prevent disordered eating among college students should include strategies for changing normative influence, both from parents and peers.

Rural Print Media Portrayal of Secondhand Smoke and Smoke-Free Policy

The purpose of this article is to describe how the print media portrays secondhand smoke and smoke-free policy in rural communities. Baseline print media clips from an ongoing 5-year study of smoke-free policy development in 40 rural communities were analyzed. The authors hypothesized that community population size would be positively associated with media favorability toward smoke-free policy. Conversely, pounds of tobacco produced and adult smoking prevalence would be negatively associated with media favorability. There was a positive correlation between population size and percentage of articles favorable toward smoke-free policy. The authors did not find a correlation between adult smoking or tobacco produced and media favorability toward smoke-free policy, but we did find a positive relationship between tobacco produced and percentage of pro-tobacco articles and a negative relationship between adult smoking prevalence and percentage of articles about health/comfort. Implications for targeting pro-health media in rural communities as well as policy-based initiatives for tobacco control are discussed.

Health, Masculinity and Smokeless Tobacco Use Among College-Aged Men

Existing work on smokeless tobacco (SLT) often focuses on correlates and predictors of use, ignoring the social and cultural context surrounding initiation and continued use of SLT products. The current study takes a qualitative approach using guided focus groups to examine this unexplored context. The findings show that male SLT users gain social rewards from dipping with other men, and usage is initiated and continued in spite of known potential health consequences. For the men participating in this study SLT use was primarily initiated at social or athletic events with the encouragement of other men and continued for relational maintenance and bonding. Additionally, the men reported that the social rewards received from using SLT far outweighed any potential health consequences or negative social repercussions they might also experience. Implications for future research and health interventions targeting SLT use are discussed.

Integrating Evidence-Based Tobacco Cessation Interventions in Free Medical Clinics: Opportunities and Challenges

Background. Free medical clinics serve a critical role in health care delivery of America’s uninsured population, who are less likely to receive tobacco cessation counseling and 1½ times more likely than the general population to use tobacco. The authors evaluate the opportunities for and challenges to implementing the U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines for tobacco cessation in free clinics. Methods. Six free clinics participated in this pilot study. Five objectives were targeted: implementation of a tobacco user identification system, education of all clinic staff and volunteers, dedication of a program champion, use of evidence-based treatment, and creation of a supportive environment that reinforces provider behavior. Key informant interviews and focus group data were used to describe the opportunities and barriers of implementing the Public Health Service Guidelines. Results. All clinics adopted a user identification system, dedicated a program champion, adopted evidence-based counseling, and created an environment conducive for cessation. Common challenges included getting volunteers to attend on-site training programs, accessing nicotine replacement therapy, and promoting Quit Line usage, all of which are part of evidence-based treatment. Conclusion. With more than 1,200 free clinics nationwide, it is very important to understand the opportunities and barriers of implementing tobacco cessation services and systems in free clinics.

The development and validation of a coding protocol to measure change in tobacco-control newspaper coverage.

The national ASSIST newspaper coding protocol model was used as a template to adapt a system for measuring tobacco-related newspaper coverage in Colorado newspapers. Over a 3-month period, tobacco-related articles were clipped from 180 daily and weekly newspapers. Variables coded included adaptations of the original ASSIST categories. During development and testing, additional variables were added to make the protocol more comprehensive and sensitive to tobacco policy media coverage. Intercoder reliabilities were calculated for all nonstatic variables using Cohen’s kappa. Disagreements were resolved through group discussions. Two rounds of testing achieved ratings above .70 for all variables. The protocol improves dramatically upon the ASSIST model by providing greater breadth and depth of analysis and more sensitivity to the nuances of newspaper coverage of tobacco-related issues. Given its simplicity, the protocol could also prove valuable for antitobacco advocacy groups who wish to track the changes in public and media opinions.