Youth Knowledge of Tobacco 21 and its Association With Intention to Use Tobacco.

BACKGROUND: Raising the minimum legal age (MLA) of tobacco sales from 18 to 21 (Tobacco 21 [T21]) has recently been implemented nationwide as a method to reduce tobacco use, but empirical data on youth knowledge of T21 policies and related pathways to tobacco use are limited. METHODS: Data were collected from the 2018 Kansas Communities That Care Student Survey. Knowledge of the MLA was compared between T21 and non-T21 regions using a quasi-experimental design. Logistic regression and mediation analysis were conducted to assess the association between knowledge of the MLA, influencing factors, and intention to use tobacco. RESULTS: Of 16 949 students (aged between 11 and 18) completing the T21 survey, fewer students responded correctly about the MLA in T21 than in non-T21 regions (37.4% vs. 46.3% responded correctly, 27.6% vs. 24.2% responded incorrectly, respectively). In T21 regions, Hispanics and students who support T21 were more likely to respond correctly about the MLA. Among current non-tobacco users in T21 regions, students who responded correctly about the MLA were less likely to report intention to use tobacco (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.7, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.6-0.8]) than those who responded incorrectly. The pathway from knowledge of the MLA to intention to use tobacco was significantly mediated by increased support for T21 (p = .002), perceived difficulty in accessing cigarettes (p = .042), and reduced susceptibility to peer influence (p = .027). CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the MLA was inversely associated with intention to use tobacco among youth. Educational campaigns to raise awareness and support for T21 among youth may improve the impact of T21 policies. IMPLICATIONS: This study examined youth knowledge of the MLA to purchase tobacco products, and whether knowledge of the MLA was associated with reduced intention to use tobacco. It also examined other influencing factors (eg, perceived support for T21) and potential mediation pathways linking knowledge of the MLA with intention to use tobacco. Given the nationwide adoption of T21, educational campaigns to promote knowledge of the policy may improve its impact.

Reducing Binge Drinking in Adolescents through Implementation of the Strategic Prevention Framework.

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is a conceptual model that supports coalition-driven efforts to address underage drinking and related consequences. Although the SPF has been promoted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and implemented in multiple U.S. states and territories, there is limited research on the SPF's effectiveness on improving targeted outcomes and associated influencing factors. The present quasi-experimental study examines the effects of SPF implementation on binge drinking and enforcement of existing underage drinking laws as an influencing factor. The intervention group encompassed 11 school districts that were implementing the SPF with local prevention coalitions across eight Kansas communities. The comparison group consisted of 14 school districts that were matched based on demographic variables. The intervention districts collectively facilitated 137 community-level changes, including new or modified programs, policies, and practices. SPF implementation supported significant improvements in binge drinking and enforcement outcomes over time (p < .001), although there were no significant differences in improvements between the intervention and matched comparison groups (p > .05). Overall, the findings provide a basis for guiding future research and community-based prevention practice in implementing and evaluating the SPF.

Rural-Urban Differences in Changes and Effects of Tobacco 21 in Youth E-cigarette Use.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of current electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased dramatically among US youth. It is unknown how the impact of policies to curb e-cigarette use might differ across rural and urban areas. METHODS: Data were collected from an annual statewide survey of middle and high school students in Kansas. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to examine the temporal change in current e-cigarette use in 2018 and 2019 across rural and urban areas and across the areas with and without a Tobacco 21 (T21) policy that raises the minimum age of tobacco sales to 21 years. RESULTS: Of 132 803 participants, the prevalence of current e-cigarette use increased from 8.2% in 2018 to 12.6% in 2019. The increase was larger in rural areas (from 6.7% in 2018 to 13.4% in 2019, difference = 6.7%) than in urban areas (9.8%-11.9%, difference = 2.1%), with a significant interaction effect of year × urbanicity/T21 group (P < .0001). In urban areas, e-cigarette use increased significantly for middle school students in T21 areas (3.3%-4.5%; P = .01) and all students in non-T21 areas (8.1%-12.0%; P < .0001). In rural areas, the increase in e-cigarette use was significant in both T21 and non-T21 areas for all students, but the increase was smaller in T21 (7.9%-10.8%, difference = 3.0%) than in non-T21 areas (6.5%-13.7%, difference = 7.1%). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we reported marked disparities in the increase of youth e-cigarette use, with a larger recent increase in rural than in urban areas. T21 policies appear to mitigate these increases in both rural and urban youth.

Improving Community Readiness for Change through Coalition Capacity Building: Evidence from a Multi-Site Intervention.

Often, community coalitions are facilitators of community-level changes when addressing underage drinking. Although studies have shown that enhancing coalition capacity is related to improved internal functioning, the relationship between enhanced capacity and community readiness for change is not well established. The present study used a pretest-posttest design to examine whether enhancing coalition capacity through training and technical assistance was associated with improved community readiness and coalition-facilitated community-level changes. Seven Kansas communities engaged in an intensive capacity building intervention through implementation of the Strategic Prevention Framework. The results indicated strong correlations between increased coalition capacity, changes in community readiness stages, and the number of community changes facilitated. The results suggest that strengthening coalition capacity through training and technical assistance may improve community readiness for change and enable the implementation of community-wide program and environmental changes.