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. 2019 Apr:91:188-192.
doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.11.016. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

A videogame intervention for tobacco product use prevention in adolescents

Mary Ann Pentz  1 , Kimberly D Hieftje  2 , Tyra M Pendergrass  2 , Stephanie A Brito  3 , Mengyu Liu  3 , Trisha Arora  2 , Hilary A Tindle  4 , Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin  5 , Lynn E Fiellin  6
Affiliations

A videogame intervention for tobacco product use prevention in adolescents

Mary Ann Pentz et al. Addict Behav. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: This pilot study evaluated the short-term effects of an interactive videogame on changing adolescent knowledge, beliefs and risk perceptions, and intentions to use e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and other tobacco products. A secondary aim was to evaluate players' game experience.

Methods: Participants (N = 80 11-14 year olds) were recruited from 7 community-based afterschool programs in New Haven, Connecticut and Los Angeles, California. The design was a single group pre-post design with replication. A pre-test survey was administered that included demographic variables and knowledge, risk perceptions, beliefs, and intentions to use e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and other tobacco products. An interactive videogame focusing on risky tobacco use situations was subsequently played in four 60-min sessions over a four-week period, followed by a post-test survey. Analyses included paired t-tests of pre-post videogame change, regression analyses, and path analyses testing mediational effects of beliefs and risk perceptions on the relationship between knowledge and intentions.

Results: The videogame changed knowledge of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products (p's < 0.001), risk perceptions of cigarettes and e-cigarettes (p < .01 and p < .001, respectively), and beliefs about e-cigarettes and other tobacco products (p's < 0.05), but not intentions. Older adolescents reported greater e-cigarette knowledge and risk perceptions (p's < 0.05), and females reported greater risk perception of cigarettes (p < .05). Beliefs mediated the relationship between knowledge and intentions to use e-cigarettes (indirect effect p < .05).

Conclusion: Results suggest that brief exposure (4 h over 4 weeks) to a videogame focused on changing knowledge and attitudes towards tobacco products may have a promising effect on preventing risk for early adolescent tobacco product use, particularly for e-cigarettes.

Keywords: Adolescent; Electronic cigarette; Prevention; Tobacco; Videogame; Youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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