In the wake of COVID-19, the capacity to track emerging trends in mental health symptoms and needs will guide public health responses at multiple ecological levels. Using Google Trends to track populationlevel mental health-related Google searches in the United States, this investigation identified pandemicassociated spikes in searches related to anxiety symptoms and remote treatments for anxiety, such as deep breathing and body scan meditation. As other discernable population-level changes in mental health have yet to emerge, continued surveillance is warranted.
Tobacco use is a leading preventable cause of early mortality and is prevalent among adults with mental health diagnoses, especially in the southern USA. Increasing cessation resources in outpatient mental health care and targeting individuals most receptive to changing their behavior may improve cessation. Drawing on the transtheoretical model, our goals were to develop an educational video about the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline and evaluate its acceptability. We designed the video with knowledge derived from Louisiana-specific data (2016 Louisiana Adult Tobacco Survey, N = 6,469) and stakeholder feedback. Bivariate associations between demographic/tobacco-use characteristics and participants’ stage of quitting (preparation phase vs. nonpreparation phase) were conducted, which informed design elements of the video. Four stakeholder advisory board meetings involving current smokers, mental health clinicians, and public health advocates convened to provide iterative feedback on the intervention. Our stakeholder advisory board (n = 10) and external stakeholders (n = 20) evaluated intervention acceptability. We found that 17.9% of Louisiana adults were current smokers, with 46.9% of them in the preparation phase of quitting. Using insights from data and stakeholders, we succeeded in producing a 2-min video about the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline which incorporated three themes identified as important by stakeholders: positivity, relatability, and approachability. Supporting acceptability, 96.7% of stakeholders rated the video as helpful and engaging. This study demonstrates the acceptability of combining theory, existing data, and iterative stakeholder feedback to develop a quitline educational video. Future research should examine whether the video can be used to reduce tobacco use.
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