Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Technology Integration Initiative -Tobacco Grant

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.