A controlled trial of a Quit and Win contest.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of a state-of-the-art Quit and Win contest on tobacco quit rates at 3, 6, and 12 months after the 30-day quit period. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental with a volunteer sample of 494 Quit and Win contest registrants (treatment group) and 512 randomly selected tobacco users not exposed to the promotional media campaign (control group). Intervention included a 30-day quit period to be eligible for large cash prizes; provider advice via weekly mailings; online and telephone quit assistance; media campaign; and community support. SETTING: Community-based intervention in Kentucky. SUBJECTS: A total of 1006 adult tobacco users. MEASURES: Quit rates were measured using 7-day point prevalence for tobacco use. Urine cotinine measurements confirmed self-reported quitting. RESULTS: Treatment group participants were significantly more likely than controls to experience quitting during the 1-year follow-up, as determined by both self-report and urine confirmation. After adjusting for baseline differences in demographics, tobacco use, and stage of change, those in the treatment group had 2.6 times the odds of reporting quitting in the postintervention period and 5.3 times the odds of experiencing quitting confirmed by urine cotinine, relative to controls. Women, minorities, and low-income tobacco users had equal odds of quitting as men, whites, and those with higher incomes. CONCLUSIONS: That the contest was minimally intensive and yielded a relatively high, quit rate demonstrates the potential effectiveness of the intervention.

Efficacy of training and fidelity of implementation of the life skills training program.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a model for diffusing the Life Skills Training (LST) Program into middle schools, examined implementation fidelity, and explored factors associated with involvement in training and program implementation. A convenience sample of master trainers (n = 44) and teachers (n = 45) from 16 Kentucky counties participated. Teachers were observed for content and process fidelity, and trainers and teachers completed questionnaires to assess factors related to training and program implementation. More than one-fourth (27%) of master trainers conducted training sessions, and 60% of teachers taught the curriculum. While implementation fidelity was relatively high, teachers were less likely to use the more innovative elements of the program. Trainers and teachers who conducted training and/or taught the LST Program were more enthusiastic toward the program than those who did nothing beyond being trained.