Dr. Viswanath is on the steering committee for TReND (the Tobacco Disparities Research Network). Trandisciplinary by design, TReND includes researchers from a variety of disciplines, who aim to stimulate new studies, address gaps in tobacco disparity research, and disseminate best practices. Through TReND, the Viswanath Lab has worked on several projects related to tobacco disparities and media exposure. They include:

TeRMMs (Developing Measures of Exposure to Tobacco-Related Messages and Media)

The objective of the TeRMMs project (Developing Measures of Exposure to Tobacco-Related Messages and Media) is to develop tools for measuring exposure to tobacco-related media messages, especially among audiences that use "minority" oriented media and those who may or may not have access to channels due to poverty or other barriers.

TReND Public Web Site

TReND has had an intranet site for many years, for internal discussions. The public version of the TReND web site is designed to be a "one-stop shop" for anyone — researchers, clinicians, concerned community members — who is interested in tobacco-related health disparities. This site will be able to reach a larger audience, and will be an ideal platform for dissemination and research translation.

Smoking in the Movies: Examining Effects on Diverse Audiences

There is now considerable evidence that smoking in movies influences smoking initiation among teenagers. What remains unknown is how these influences impact teens across different racial, social, and ethnic class groups. Dr. Viswanath and his co-investigators want to know if media exposure and movie-going habits among different ethnic and social groups affect not only smoking initiation, but more sustained use of tobacco as well. The members of TReND are:

• discussing the current state of the evidence.
• developing a broad framework for what is known and where gaps exist in current research.
• identifying areas for future research.