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HYSQ - Phase II: Program Evaluations

In Phase II, HYSQ is conducting a longitudinal evaluation of high school-aged youth participating in 42 smoking cessation programs across the United States. Through careful consideration and consultation with experts in program evaluation, youth tobacco research, sampling and survey methodology, and program administration, an associative program evaluation model guides the HYSQ Phase II program evaluation. The overarching question is “what program component, process, and contextual factors are associated with increased recruitment, retention and quit rates?”  A variety of factors will be measured at multiple time points and levels. The types of program components, processes, and contextual factors of interest are illustrated in the HYSQ Phase II logic model. 

Program Selection

Based on the Phase I outcome of program homogeneity across the US, Phase II will evaluate programs that are viable, replicable, and credible (promising programs). Program selection is based primarily on an a priori set of parameters:

• Not part of a research initiative, 
• Provides direct cessation services through in-person group sessions, 
• Has been implemented at least once in the past year, 
• Primarily serves youth aged 14–18 years, 
• Has a written guide that is used by trained staff, and 
• Serves at least 15 youth per year.      

Data Collection

Protocols and instruments were designed for collecting information on four levels that correspond to components in the Phase II logic model: 

1. Community: to examine the larger context in which the programs are offered and youth reside;
2. Organization: to examine the proximal context in which the programs are offered;
3. Program/Provider: to examine the program components and the immediate context in which it is offered a variety of information is gathered, such as the program as implemented, group dynamics and professional characteristics of the provider; and
4. Participant: to examine youth smoking and quit behaviors including future plans, curricular and extracurricular involvement, relationship and social norm perceptions, program experience.  

Given these components and levels, one key analytical decision is to use participants as the unit of analysis in a multi-level model that assigns program-level characteristics to individual participants.  The Phase II analyses will focus on exploring the relationship between aggregated program attributes and youth participant outcomes.  

Youth Comparison Groups

In order to account for natural quit rates, two existing national studies will be used to develop synthetic comparison groups (i.e., CDC conducted National Youth Tobacco Survey 2004, and the Youth Smoking Cessation Study of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute). The HYSQ youth participant surveys include comparable questions to both studies. The baseline and 12-month follow-up data will be used to examine the ambient quit rate. 

Presentations and publications about this phase will be included in the Publications section of this website as they become available.  
  
Read more about the Phase II evaluation and our progress to date here.