Multiple Health Behavior Changes in a Cancer Prevention Intervention for Construction Workers - Preventing Chronic Disease: May 2010: 09_0101

ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Multiple Health Behavior Changes in a Cancer Prevention Intervention for Construction Workers, 2001-2003

TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Tables

Amy E. Harley, PhD, MPH, RD; Carol M. Devine, PhD, EdM, RD; Binta Beard, ScM; Anne M. Stoddard, ScD, MPH; Mary K. Hunt, RD, MPH; Glorian Sorensen, MPH, PhD
Suggested citation for this article: Harley AE, Devine CM, Beard B, Stoddard AM, Hunt MK, Sorensen G. Multiple health behavior changes in a cancer prevention intervention for construction workers, 2001-2003. Prev Chronic Dis 2010;7(3).
http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2010/may/09_0101.htm. Accessed [date].


Abstract
Introduction
Few multiple behavior change interventions have addressed tobacco use in conjunction with fruit and vegetable consumption, particularly among high-risk blue-collar workers. Tools for Health, a cancer prevention intervention for construction laborers, was effective in achieving behavior change for smoking cessation and fruit and vegetable consumption separately. This study examines whether addressing smoking and fruit and vegetable consumption was successful in achieving positive change for both behaviors. We also explored possible explanations for the relationship between behavior changes in these 2 behavioral domains.

Methods
We retrospectively analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial testing a smoking cessation and fruit and vegetable consumption intervention for construction workers. We used survey data from 300 intervention participants to answer our primary research question: Did participants who reported being smokers at baseline successfully quit smoking and increase their fruit and vegetable consumption by the end of the intervention? We used qualitative data from 16 small group discussions to help interpret these results.

Results
Tools for Health participants achieved substantial levels of smoking cessation and increased their fruit and vegetable consumption, concurrently, during the course of the intervention.

Conclusion
This study provides evidence that pairing smoking cessation with increasing fruit and vegetable consumption can be successful in a multiple behavior change intervention designed for high-risk blue-collar workers. Further, our findings provide potential directions for examining why this pairing might be complementary.

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Preventing Chronic Disease: May 2010: 09_0101