Publications
Publications
Working Papers
Resonant messages to prevent prescription drug misuse by teens
Eric C. Twombly, Christine B. Agnew, & Kristen D. Holtz, KDH Research & Communication
November 2009: Working Paper 09-003
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Prescription drug misuse is a major health problem, particularly among teens. A key step in curbing misuse is the development of effective prescription drug prevention messages. This paper explores the elements of prescription drug misuse prevention messages that resonate with teens using data from focus groups with seventh and eighth grade students. In contrast to some previous research, students reported that messages with positive alternatives and refusal skills had little resonance, but scare tactic messages about prescription drug misuse resonated strongly. The data also suggest a substantial difference in message resonance between seventh and eighth grade students. Overall, the findings suggest the need to craft and target different types of messages for prescription drug misuse prevention to targeted teen audiences.
Using promotores programs to improve Latino health outcomes: Implementation challenges for community-based nonprofit organizations
Eric C. Twombly, Kimberly A. Stringer, & Kristen D. Holtz, KDH Research & Communication
November 2009: Working Paper 09-002
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Latinos in the United States face numerous barriers to accessing health care and suffer from relatively low health outcomes. To address these barriers and improve Latinos’ health, community-based nonprofits attempt to use innovative and creative health care delivery methods, including promotores programs. Promotores are community lay health workers, often working through nonprofit organizations, who provide outreach and services to Latinos. Using primary data from a sample of national experts, this paper explores the challenges faced by nonprofits in the implementation of promotores programs. The findings suggest three key implementation problems: the lack of standardized information on promotores programs, labor issues, and organizational costs. The paper concludes with several strategies to addresses these problems.
Minimizing institutional and instructional barriers to increase students' health literacy through genetics education
Stephanie N. MacLaverty, Eric C. Twombly, & Kristen D. Holtz, KDH Research & Communication
November 2009: Working Paper 09-001
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One traditional avenue to developing health literacy is through health educational curriculum in primary and secondary schools. However, recent policy shifts that emphasize core curriculum learning standards decreased the ability of schools to offer health content. Thus, supplementing the core genetics curriculum with health content is a possible approach to increase health literacy in the current educational environment. Qualitative data suggest that control is the primary institutional and instructional barrier to the adoption and use of supplemental genetics educational materials. However, teachers report that supplemental educational materials with specific elements can help minimize this barrier and allow teachers flexibility to maximize the health content they can deliver. But to effectively build health literacy, supplemental materials must relate genetics to personal health. When combined with effective teaching practices, such as inquiry-based activities and content that is adaptable to different levels of student ability, supplemental genetics materials may help minimize barriers and make genetics education an effective conduit to build students’ health and genetic literacy.
The power of positive attitudes: Student outcomes on a science education curriculum about drugs of abuse
Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University, Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Greta K. Tessman, Emerson College and Tufts University
August 2007: Working Paper 07-004
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Science literacy is critical for civil society, and attitudes toward science in school have been found to be strong predictors of achievement. Science literacy is of particular concern for the field of substance abuse research. This paper reports the results of an evaluation of a science education curriculum for late elementary school students on drugs of abuse and explores the role that attitudes toward science and attitudes towards drugs played in predicting student outcomes. The main finding is that students with positive attitudes toward science before the implementation of the curriculum tend to show greater acquisition of knowledge. In contrast, students with less protective attitudes toward drugs were found to show greater knowledge acquisition. This study suggests that the development of new pedagogical methods to improve science achievement by identifying and intervening with students who may have more negative attitudes toward science, prior to the implementation of core content, may have value.
Multimedia science education on drugs of abuse: A preliminary evaluation of effectiveness for adolescents
Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University, Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Greta K. Tessman, Emerson College and Tufts University
August 2007: Working Paper 07-003
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This paper reports on the development and evaluation of a science education-based multimedia prevention curriculum on drugs of abuse. The evaluation used a pretest/post-test quasi-experimental design in which sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students in the treatment group (N=611) were exposed to the curriculum and those in the control group (N=731) were not. Eight charter schools in four states participated.
Descriptive and multivariate approaches were used to analyze data from knowledge and attitude measures. The findings suggest that the multimedia approach significantly improved knowledge about drugs of abuse in the treatment group, providing preliminary support for the approach of using multimedia science education as a health education and prevention tool in schools.
Evaluation of a peer-focused intervention to increase knowledge and foster positive attitudes toward children with Tourette Syndrome
Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Greta K. Tessman, Emerson College and Tufts University
August 2007: Working Paper 07-002
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This study examines the impact of a video-based intervention to increase children's knowledge and positive attitudes toward a peer with Tourette Syndrome (TS). TS, a neurological disorder characterized by verbal and motor tics, is a confusing and potentially stigmatizing disorder. Although symptoms wax and wane over the life span, TS typically begins in childhood and peaks at puberty. The available literature suggests that people with TS are at risk for social rejection; because TS is primarily a childhood disorder, many of the social adjustment problems experienced by people with the disorder have their roots in negative childhood experiences in the classroom.
An intervention was developed and evaluated using a pretest, posttest control group study. Children exposed to the intervention video showed greater changes in knowledge, positive attitudes, and behavioral intentions than a control group. Such interventions may have potential to improve social outcomes for children with differences.
A preliminary evaluation of the effects of a science-education curriculum on changes in knowledge of drugs in youth
Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Eric C. Twombly, Georgia State University
August 2007: Working Paper 07-001
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Drug and alcohol use among youth remains at pervasively high levels, but students are receiving less school-based prevention. Infusing health information into core curricula may be a valuable prevention approach. Therefore, behavior change theory was used to develop a science education curriculum on drugs for fourth- and fifth-grade students, which was then evaluated using a pretest/post-test quasi-experimental design. Exposure to the curriculum was associated with a change in knowledge, and other characteristics like grade level also played a role. More positive attitudes toward science at pretest predicted greater knowledge change, and students who knew less at the start showed a greater change in knowledge. Results of this evaluation may support the efficacy of the curriculum and the utility of combining behavior change theory with educational approaches.
The impact of peer education on classroom outcomes for children with Tourette Syndrome
Kristen D. Holtz, KDHRC & Sid J. Schneider, Westat
December 2006: Working paper 06-002
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A peer-education videotape was developed for elementary school classes with a student with Tourette Syndrome, a chronic, frequently stigmatizing tic disorder. Triads consisting of a child with Tourette Syndrome, the child's parent, and the child's teacher were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. The triads completed sets of instruments three times, over five weeks. Only the intervention group received the videotape, as part of a classroom presentation between the first and second data collection times. The results indicated that the triads in both groups perceived gradual improvements in the children's social adjustment. The intervention and control groups, however, also differed in several respects. In the intervention group, the parents reported that their children acquired more friends following the classroom presentation. The children, however, reported having fewer friends at school, less athletic competence, and worse physical appearance. The implications of the results for peer-education interventions are discussed.