An evaluation of youth empowerment tobacco prevention programs in the Southwest

Evaluation research pertaining to the development of assessment instruments that fully capture the facets of empowerment prevention perspectives among youth are sparse. With funding from the American Legacy Foundation, the University of New Mexico Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, in partnership with the New Mexico State Department of Health, developed a measure of individual empowerment. Drawing from the various bodies of literature in adolescent development, substance abuse prevention, and program/coalition building, a questionnaire was developed to capture facets of individual empowerment as it pertains to tobacco prevention efforts among youth within New Mexico. Utilizing a sample of 112 youth participants, principal axis factor analysis with Varimax rotation revealed four valid sub-scales entitled active participation, empowerment efficacy, external organizational involvement, and participant satisfaction. Internal consistency reliabilities were satisfactory with Cronbach's alpha ranging from .78 to .84. Regression mediation analysis revealed that active participation mediated the relationship of empowerment efficacy and self-esteem. Challenges associated with conceptualizing and assessing empowerment among youth are discussed.