Developing an Awareness Campaign to Reduce Second Hand Smoke Among Disadvantaged Families—A Participatory M-Health Approach

Abstract

Children from disadvantaged families are particularly exposed to second hand smoke in their home environment. Using a mixed methods participatory approach, we aimed at identifying suitable media channels and appropriate content for a campaign increasing caregivers’ knowledge about the risks of second hand smoke (SHS) exposure for their children and appropriate measures for exposure reduction. In the first phase of the mixed method design, we evaluated knowledge and norms about children’s SHS and perceived barriers for avoiding it. To this end, we conducted 26 one-to-one interviews with smoking caregivers of children below the age of six years. Subsequently, we developed and illustrated core messages and identified appropriate communication channels. These were evaluated in focus group discussions by 20 of the 26 interview participants. After a final revision, 121 caregivers evaluated the campaign via an online questionnaire. Online social networks were identified as the most suitable media channel. For these, we developed animated photos with voiceovers addressing the potential consequences of SHS for children. The overall rating of the campaign messages was promising. Participants confirmed that it was important to address the issue in social media. However, sharing the pictures was considered unlikely due to the sensitive topic of the campaign, while the importance of doctors or scientists being recognizable as a source was highlighted. Employing a participatory approach, we developed an m-health campaign, which can now be disseminated in social networks to reach the target population. The effectiveness of the campaign should be evaluated.

Participatory Approaches in Family Health Promotion as an Opportunity for Health Behavior Change—A Rapid Review

“…Ferré et al (2010) also reported a move towards a community-led participatory research (CPPR) approach. The three European publications referred to participatory action research (PAR) [ 28 ], or a participatory approach in general, without defining the term precisely [ 27 , 29 ].…”

“…Three of the ten publications included only descriptions of preliminary stages of participation, such as informing, listening, or involving the addressees [ 22 , 28 , 29 ]. Johnson-Shelton et al (2015) and Schäfer and Bär (2019) exclusively indicated forms of actual participation.…”

“…Following the public health action cycle [ 32 ], all publications describe a participation of the addressees in the project development phase. Eight publications describe a participation in the implementation phase [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ] and seven in the analysis [ 21 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 ] and evaluation phase [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. In total, five publications refer to participation in all project phases [ 21 , 23 , 24 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Participatory methods used can be divided into four categories. Seven times each, in different combinations, it was described that regular meetings (with the community, within the research team) were held [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], interviews and focus group discussions took place [ 21 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 30 ], and advisory board, action group or research group with the addressees were formed [ 21 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 30 ]. Six publications described that events, such as kick-off events, conferences or workshops, were held [ 21 , 23 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 ].…”

Mobile Health for Smoking Cessation Among Disadvantaged Young Women During and After Pregnancy: User-Centered Design and Usability Study

“…The effectiveness of participatory design depends on roles (eg, informants and co-design) and game design elements (eg, game levels or challenges) [ 14 ]. However, to the best of our knowledge, few studies have followed a user-centered design approach in the design of mHealth apps for disadvantaged populations [ 15 , 16 ].…”