Comparison of media literacy and usual education to prevent tobacco use: a cluster-randomized trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Media literacy programs have shown potential for reduction of adolescent tobacco use. We aimed to determine if an anti-smoking media literacy curriculum improves students' media literacy and affects factors related to adolescent smoking.

Methods

We recruited 1170 9th-grade students from 64 classrooms in 3 public urban high schools. Students were randomized by classroom to a media literacy curriculum versus a standard educational program. In an intent-to-treat analysis, we used multilevel modeling to determine if changes in study outcomes were associated with the curricular intervention, controlling for baseline student covariates and the clustering of students within classrooms.

Results

Among participants, mean age was 14.5 years and 51% were male, with no

SUBMITTER: Primack BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4126196 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature