DIFFUSION OF AN EFFECTIVE TOBACCO PREVENTION PROGRAM .2. EVALUATION OF THE ADOPTION PHASE

This paper presents the results of theory-based intervention strategie s to increase the adoption of a tobacco prevention program. The adopti on intervention followed a series of dissemination intervention strate gies targeted at 128 school districts in Texas. Informed by Social Cog nitive Theory, the intervention provided opportunities for districts t o learn about and model themselves after 'successful' school districts that had adopted the program, and to see the potential for social rei nforcement through the knowledge that the program had the potential to have an important influence on students' lives. The proportion of dis tricts in the Intervention condition that adopted the program was sign ificantly greater than in the Comparison condition (P < 0.001). Stepwi se logistic regression indicated that the variables most closely relat ed to adoption among intervention districts were teacher attitudes tow ard the innovation and organizational considerations of administrators , Recommendations for the development of effective strategies for the diffusion of innovations are presented.