Facial-aging mobile apps for smoking prevention in secondary schools in Brazil: Appearance-focused interventional study

Bernardes-Souza B, Ananias De Assis Pires FP, Madeira GM, Da Cunha Rodrigues TF, Gatzka M, Heppt M, Omlor AJ, Enk AH, Groneberg DA, Seeger W, Von Kalle C, Berking C, Rodrigues Pinto Correa PC, Suhre JL, Alfitian J, Assis A, Brinker TJ (2018)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Journal

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance JMIR Publications

Book Volume: 4

Article Number: e10234

Journal Issue: 7

DOI: 10.2196/10234

Abstract

Background: Most smokers start smoking during their early adolescence, often with the idea that smoking is glamorous. Interventions that harness the broad availability of mobile phones as well as adolescents' interest in their appearance may be a novel way to improve school-based prevention. A recent study conducted in Germany showed promising results. However, the transfer to other cultural contexts, effects on different genders, and implementability remains unknown. Objective: In this observational study, we aimed to test the perception and implementability of facial-aging apps to prevent smoking in secondary schools in Brazil in accordance with the theory of planned behavior and with respect to different genders. Methods: We used a free facial-aging mobile phone app (“Smokerface”) in three Brazilian secondary schools via a novel method called mirroring. The students’ altered three-dimensional selfies on mobile phones or tablets and images were “mirrored” via a projector in front of their whole grade. Using an anonymous questionnaire, we then measured on a 5-point Likert scale the perceptions of the intervention among 306 Brazilian secondary school students of both genders in the seventh grade (average age 12.97 years). A second questionnaire captured perceptions of medical students who conducted the intervention and its conduction per protocol. Results: The majority of students perceived the intervention as fun (304/306, 99.3%), claimed the intervention motivated them not to smoke (289/306, 94.4%), and stated that they learned new benefits of not smoking (300/306, 98.0%). Only a minority of students disagreed or fully disagreed that they learned new benefits of nonsmoking (4/306, 1.3%) or that they themselves were motivated not to smoke (5/306, 1.6%). All of the protocol was delivered by volunteer medical students. Conclusions: Our data indicate the potential for facial-aging interventions to reduce smoking prevalence in Brazilian secondary schools in accordance with the theory of planned behavior. Volunteer medical students enjoyed the intervention and are capable of complete implementation per protocol.

Authors with CRIS profile

Carola Berking

Involved external institutions

Federal University of Ouro Preto / Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (UFOP) BR Brazil (BR) Universität des Saarlandes (UdS) DE Germany (DE) Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) DE Germany (DE) Universität Ulm DE Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München DE Germany (DE) Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg DE Germany (DE) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main DE Germany (DE) Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen DE Germany (DE) Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn DE Germany (DE) Universität zu Köln DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Bernardes-Souza, B., Ananias De Assis Pires, F.P., Madeira, G.M., Da Cunha Rodrigues, T.F., Gatzka, M., Heppt, M.,... Brinker, T.J. (2018). Facial-aging mobile apps for smoking prevention in secondary schools in Brazil: Appearance-focused interventional study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 4(7). https://doi.org/10.2196/10234

MLA:

Bernardes-Souza, Breno, et al. "Facial-aging mobile apps for smoking prevention in secondary schools in Brazil: Appearance-focused interventional study." JMIR Public Health and Surveillance 4.7 (2018).

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