Problems of Applying Communication/Behavior Theories to a Program of Smoking Reduction

Because the use of tobacco contributes to a large number of deaths each year in the United States, a current research project at the University of Iowa tests the application of a number of theoretical ideas--including social bonding, diffusion, and the spiral of silence--and attempts to develop new ideas in an effort to reduce smoking. The five-year study is a four-pronged behavioral change program directed at seventh graders who attended all the public schools in three Iowa cities. Two experimental and one control group were exposed to an anti-smoking curriculum during the first year of the study. Subsequent developments to be implemented in the experimental communities include knowledge reward, community competition, student involvement, and community involvement. The major problem encountered in this study was the difficulty of reinforcing group efforts to reduce smoking without having a negative effect on group bonding or attachment. Although problems clearly exist in trying to apply theory to real life, further research should be conducted because theory has no practical value unless it can be of some use in society. (DF)