# Social Influence Strategies during a Web-based Smoking Prevention Intervention for Adolescents

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2021 · $8,845

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Negative influence from peers and friends is a well-known potent predictor of adolescent smoking initiation.
However, what is not known is how to design and implement an intervention that promotes positive social
influence for adolescents (i.e., connection with and support from others who do not intent to use tobacco). One
example of an intervention that lacks positive social influence is a Web-based, computer-tailored intervention
called A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE). ASPIRE includes videos and activities with
messages that successfully provide adolescents individually with information on smoking risks, using human-
computer interaction. Still, for better outcomes, it can benefit from positive social influence through peer-to-
peer interaction. The long-term research goal is to develop, implement, and evaluate social influence and
behavioral interventions that can be applied to prevent the use of tobacco products among adolescents. One
innovative approach to fill the gap is to apply social influence strategies. First, game-based social activities
(GSAs) can facilitate exploration of health information and drive social discussions against tobacco use.
Second, social network analysis allows us to strategically group at-risk adolescents (i.e., those who intend to
use tobacco), with close peers who do not intend to use tobacco (i.e., change agents), as they engage in
ASPIRE. Change agents will positively influence at-risk adolescents for two reasons: (1) At-risk adolescents
will be dominated in number by change agents, and (2) their interaction with change agents will be directed by
the healthy content of ASPIRE and the GSAs. The objective of the funded R00 research is to identify the effect
of ASPIRE on key mechanisms underlying adolescents’ intention to use tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars,
hookah water pipes, and vaping products), when social influence strategies are added to the intervention. The
objective of the current administrative supplement through the 2021 NIDA Summer Research Internship
Program is to support the research training of an undergraduate student from an underrepresented group with
a meaningful substance abuse and addiction research experience in adolescent tobacco prevention and
cessation. With mentorship from the PI (Georges Khalil, MPH, PhD) and a Graduate Student Research
Assistant (David McLean, MA), the intern will receive training in (1) health communication strategies for
adolescent tobacco prevention and cessation, (2) implementation of community based randomized trials for
behavioral interventions, and (3) mixed-method data analysis skills. Ultimately, the research plan for this
project will provide a healthy training environment for the intern to obtain skills in substance abuse prevention
research through behavioral science.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10398528
- **Project number:** 3R00DA044277-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** Georges Elias Khalil
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $8,845
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10398528

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10398528, Social Influence Strategies during a Web-based Smoking Prevention Intervention for Adolescents (3R00DA044277-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10398528. Licensed CC0.

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