Needs Assessment
West Virginia communities have consistently taken action to protect the
health of their workers and residents from secondhand smoke in workplaces. More
than 72% of West Virginians live in a county with a 100% smoke free workplace law.
However, less than 30% of residents live in counties with smoke free
restaurants and only 5% of residents live in counties with smoke free bar laws.
All workers in West Virginia deserve to breathe clean air because secondhand
smoke exposure can cause of serious disease and death in every smoke-filled
work site, including bars, restaurants and schools.
Our goal was to educate our young
people by providing them with information, resources and visual effects in
order to teach them about tobacco prevention. Ninety percent of all smokers
begin smoking before the age of 16 and more than 3,000 teens become regular
smokers every day in the United States (American Academy of Pediatrics). It was
decided that a youth coalition needed to be developed at the high school level
in order to help get the word out on how this process was to begin. Information
such as the pride survey would have to be done in order to determine if there
was a smoking problem among high school students. Then based on the collected
data a youth coalition will be developed in order to come up with prevention
strategies that would then be implanted at the high school. Technology will be
a big asset because we as the adult prevention coalition wanted to develop
something that was going to be an updated resource for young people and a tool
that could be shared.
The youth coalition was developed
and named Taylor County Breaking the Cycle youth coalition. This group of
student will be in charge of introducing substance abuse prevention dealing
with tobacco, alcohol and drugs. The group will begin with helping to develop
an app for information on staying tobacco free. This group is committed to
being adult guided and youth led; they are breaking the Cycle of smoking among
their peers.
MMS Technology Initiative
Goal: Prevent tobacco use among youth and educate
the community about the dangers of first and second hand smoke by using
technology with social media and technology.
Objective 1.
a. Activity
to Complete Objective Target Date of
Completion
b.
Prevent tobacco use by developing a new in
county media campaign that will target high school students of Taylor County.
May 2015
c.
Create an app on the dangers on tobacco use to
be circulated throughout the county. March 2015
d.
Partner with Community members and Organization
to develop a newspaper insert targeting over 16000 adults and students that
will promote Tobacco Prevention and use during all of October. August / October
2014
e.
Provide tobacco prevention training and material
to local parent, teacher organizations 4 total training one for each quarter. July 2014 to May 2015
Objective 2.
a.
Activity to Complete Objective Target Date of Completion
b.
Use a consultant to train and educate community
on second hand smoke by participating in a community health and resource fair. April 2015
c.
Host a Town Hall at the high school on the
dangers of First and Second hand smoke. February 2015
d.
Host training and provide a consultant to come
and speak about what is trending with tobacco and second hand smoke.
January 2015
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Materials/Supplies: 1500.00
2 mini iPads and software for app development.
Tech Consultant 1500.00 Tech consultant who can assist students with app development and
training.
Other expenses: 1500.00 Training for
teachers (Stipends
Administrative Costs (limited
to 10% of direct costs)
500.00
TOTAL 5000.00
Benefits of
Educating Youth
1. Fewer
students out sick due to upper repertory and asthma.
2. Prevention
resources established at Grafton High School
3. Teachers
will get an opportunity to attend paid training.
4. WV
RAZE will be introducing at the high school.
5. Opportunity
to engage all students.
Literature
Cited
44. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Youth risk behavior surveillance – United
States, 2003. In: Surveillance Summaries,
May 21, 2004. MMWR 2004;53(No. SS-2). Pg 11-12
55.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs (SAMMEC): Adult
SAMMEC and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) SAMMEC software, 2004. Available at
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sammec.
66. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance
Summaries, May 21, 2004. MMWR
2004:53(No. SS-2) pg 49-53.
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