Search

Background: The global prevalence of smoking remains a significant public health concern, necessitating the development of effective anti-smoking campaigns to promote smoking cessation and discourage smoking initiation. Understanding the factors that influence individual responses to anti-smoking messages is critical for tailoring campaigns to different populations. Focus of the Article: This study substantially exhibits the concepts of audience segmentation and targeting, informed by theory and formative research, and monitoring and evaluation research in the context of anti-smoking campaigns. Research Question: The article aims to answer how smoking behavior and message framing influence individuals' counterarguing responses to anti-smoking advertisements and the implications for ad effectiveness. Approach: The research investigates the role of smoking behavior (smokers vs. non-smokers) and message framing (positive vs. negative) in shaping individuals' counterarguing responses to anti-smoking advertisements, using two studies involving behavioral and neuroscientific methods. Methods: Study 1 employed an online video task with 1920 participants, examining the effects of smoking behavior and message framing on ad effectiveness. Study 2 used electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity from 31 participants while they viewed anti-smoking video advertisements, focusing on the neural correlates of counterarguing and their effect on anti-smoking ad effectiveness. Results: Study 1 found that smokers report lower ad effectiveness compared to non-smokers, and observed an interaction between smoking behavior and message framing. Study 2 found that smoking behavior significantly influenced brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) regions in response to anti-smoking ads. Additionally, a significant interaction was observed between smoking behavior and ad framing on brain activity in all three regions. Recommendations for Research or Practice: The findings suggest that anti-smoking campaigns should be tailored to the specific needs and attitudes of smokers and non-smokers, with separate campaigns for each group. Future research could explore the role of other individual differences in shaping counterarguing responses, the long-term effects of exposure to different types of anti-smoking messages on smoking behavior, and using more advanced neuroimaging techniques to investigate the neural processes that underlie counterarguing responses to anti-smoking messages for better flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-engaged classrooms offer advantages to both students and community-based organizations by creating an environment where students become agents of change and contribute to meeting communities' health needs. However, most community-engaged classroom research is done in high-income contexts in advanced curriculums with graduate students. This article explores a community-engaged classroom project at a minority- and indigenous-serving undergraduate institution, focusing on indigenous student empowerment. Commercial tobacco use prevention is of particular importance to indigenous contexts and resulted in a college policy change to reflect indigenous values. Students designed, implemented, and evaluated a tobacco product education campaign to effect change using a community-engaged approach. The educational activities included (1) understanding the tobacco context, (2) health communication course design, (3) forming key partnerships, (4) facilitating student activities through behind-the-scenes work, (5) designing and implementing a campaign, and (6) student growth and empowerment. We illustrate how academic and state partnerships can align interests in implementing public health policies and providing students with real-world public health communication and health equity experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate sociodemographic differences in the relationship between state and national anti-smoking media campaigns and cessation behaviors among adult smokers in the U.S. Design: Repeated cross-sectional analysis. Setting: U.S. nationally representative survey of adults ages 18 and older, 2001-2015. Subjects: 76,278 year-ago smokers from the 2001-2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey. Measures: Area-level exposure to State-sponsored and "Tips from former smokers" anti-tobacco media campaigns was the primary predictor of this study. Outcome variables included: quit attempt in the past 12 months, past 30-day smoking cessation, and past 90-day smoking cessation among year-ago smokers. Analysis: We conducted modified Poisson regression models to examine the association between media campaign exposure and cessation behaviors. We also examined effect modification on the additive scale by sex, race/ethnicity, income, and education using average marginal effects. Results: Year-ago smokers with greater exposure to media campaigns were more likely to report 30-day (Prevalence Ratio [PR]: 1.18, CI: 1.03, 1.36) and 90-day cessation (PR: 1.18, CI: 1.00, 1.41) compared to respondents with less campaign exposure. We found no evidence of effect modification by sociodemographic variables. Conclusion: Exposure to anti-smoking media campaigns were associated with year-ago smokers' cessation behaviors. However, there were no differences in the association by sex, race/ethnicity, income, or education, indicating that broadly focused media campaigns may be insufficient to reduce smoking cessation among priority populations, and thus health disparities generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past works have shown that identification with smokers predicts increased resistance to antismoking campaigns. In this research, we hypothesized that group entitativity, because it affects the extent to which people feel committed to act for their group, can mitigate this link. We conducted two studies with convenient samples of smokers that both included a measure of identification and measured (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2) entitativity. Then, participants read an antismoking message and, finally, reported their attitude toward smoking (Studies 1 and 2), as well as their urge to smoke and intention to quit (Study 2). Consistently, both studies revealed more resistance among high (vs. low) identifiers, but only when they perceived smokers as a highly entitative group. These findings emphasized the importance of group processes and social identity factors for accounting for responses to antismoking information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the association between strength of policy and self-reported tobacco use behavior, controlling for demographic characteristics, polytobacco use, knowledge of campus tobacco policy, and perceived policy compliance by others.Design: Cross-sectional, online survey.Setting: Ten participating State University of New York (SUNY) campuses; 5 with designated smoking/tobacco use areas and 5 with 100% tobacco-free policies.Subjects: Convenience sample of students from SUNY campuses: only tobacco users (N = 576 students) included for analysis.Measures: Items assessing tobacco use behaviors on campus, policy knowledge, and observation of others using tobacco on campus.Analysis: T tests and chi-square tests of association used to compare responses between tobacco users across campuses. Generalized estimating equations modeling used to evaluate predictors of tobacco use on campus; model estimated with students nested within campus.Results: Those on campuses without a comprehensive policy were more likely to report (in the past week) having seen others smoke on campus (98% vs 69%, P < .001), having personally smoked on campus (65% vs 36%, P < .001), and seeing others use tobacco products on campus (88% vs 67%, P < .001), compared to those on tobacco-free campuses.Conclusion: Tobacco-free campus policies provide numerous protective factors for tobacco users and nonusers. However, compliance strategies are imperative for intended policy success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To understand the effect of pro-tobacco marketing on electronic cigarette and combustible cigarette dual use among US middle and high school students under 18 years of age.Design: Data were derived from the 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey, an annual self-administered school-based cross-sectional survey.Setting: The survey was administered in public and private middle and high schools across the United States.Participants: The probability sample size was 15 238 middle and high school students with complete responses who were under 18 years of age during the study period.Measures: The study measured self-reported exposure to online combustible and electronic cigarette advertisements, dual use of combustible and electronic cigarettes during the past 30 days, exposure to the Real Cost antitobacco campaign advertisements, and other sociodemographic factors (eg, race/ethnicity, gender, and grade).Analysis: Logistic regressions were used to measure pro-tobacco marketing exposure and dual use as a function of pro-tobacco marketing exposure.Results: Descriptive analyses show that 59.0% of respondents were exposed to pro-tobacco online marketing, and 2.9% were dual users. Dual users (odds ratio [OR] = 1.73) and high school students (OR = 1.43) were more likely to report exposure to online pro-tobacco marketing.Conclusions: Findings indicate that a gap in electronic cigarette pro-tobacco marketing regulatory oversight may exist. Further policy action may be warranted to protect the public health of minors and other vulnerable populations who are most susceptible to pro-tobacco marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study combines the heuristic-systematic model of persuasion with user interface literature to examine how website interactivity influences processing of anti-smoking messages and smoking outcome beliefs. We conducted a pilot experiment with 112 current smokers and found that the interactive website elicited more heuristic processing among participants, which diminished their outcome beliefs and website attitudes. However, their positive interface perception functioned as a salient cue that led to greater systematic processing, which outperformed the negative impact of interactivity. It is recommended for future research to examine the effect of interactivity on persuasion with other types of interface features and health messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As public housing agencies and other low-income housing providers adopt smoke-free policies, data are needed to inform implementation approaches that support compliance.Design: Focused ethnography used including qualitative interviews with staff, focus groups with residents, and property observations.Setting: Four low-income housing properties in Massachusetts, 12 months postpolicy adoption.Participants: Individual interviews (n = 17) with property staff (managers, resident service coordinators, maintenance, security, and administrators) and focus groups with resident smokers (n = 28) and nonsmokers (n = 47).Measures: Informed by the social-ecological model: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, and community factors relating to compliance were assessed.Analysis: Utilized MAXQDA in a theory-driven immersion/crystallization analytic process with cycles of raw data examination and pattern identification until no new themes emerged.Results: Self-reported secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) was reduced but not eliminated. Challenges included relying on ambivalent maintenance staff and residents to report violations, staff serving as both enforcers and smoking cessation counsellors, and inability to enforce on nights and weekends. Erroneous knowledge of the policy, perception that SHSe is not harmful to neighbors, as well as believing that smokers were losing their autonomy and being unfairly singled out when other resident violations were being unaddressed, hindered policy acceptance among resident smokers. The greatest challenge to compliance was the lack of allowable outdoor smoking areas that may have reduced the burden of the policy on smokers.Conclusion: Smoke-free policy implementation to support compliance could be enhanced with information about SHSe for smokers and nonsmokers, cessation support from external community partners, discussion forums for maintenance staff, resident inclusion in decision-making, and framing the policy as part of a broader wellness initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the impact of the National Cancer Institute's promotion of its youth smoking cessation program, Smokefree Teen (SFT).Design: We provide a description of campaign strategies and outcomes as a means to engage a teen audience in cessation resources using a cost-effective approach.Setting: The campaign occurred nationally, using traditional (TV and radio), online, and social media outreach.Participants: Ads targeted adolescent smokers (aged 14-17). The baseline population was 42 586 and increased to 464 357 during the campaign.Measures: Metrics used to assess outcomes include (1) visits to SFT website from traditional and online ads, (2) cost to get an online ad clicked (cost-per-click), and (3) SmokefreeTXT program enrollments during the 8-week campaign period.Analysis: We conducted a quantitative performance review of all tactics.Results: The SFT campaign achieved an online ad click-through rate of 0.33%, exceeding industry averages of 0.15%. Overall, web traffic to teen.smokefree.gov increased by 980%, and the online cost-per-click for ads, including social media actions, was approximately $1 as compared with $107 for traditional ads. Additionally, the campaign increased the SmokefreeTXT program teen sign-ups by 1334%.Conclusion: The campaign increased engagement with evidence-informed cessation resources for teen smokers. Results show the potential of using multiple, online channels to help increase engagement with core resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the relationship between youth's exposure to the Food and Drug Administration's national tobacco public education campaign, The Real Cost, and changes in campaign-targeted beliefs.Design: Longitudinal design with baseline survey and 2 postcampaign follow-up surveys.Sample: Youth from 75 US media markets (N = 1680) who completed all 3 surveys and had experimented with or were susceptible to future cigarette smoking.Measures: Exposure was measured by self-reported frequency of ad exposure and media market-level target rating points. Agreement with 30 self-reported tobacco-related beliefs was assessed in 3 categories: (1) beliefs specifically targeted by campaign messages (campaign-targeted belief), (2) beliefs not targeted by the campaign (nontargeted beliefs), and (3) beliefs corresponding to other media campaigns on air concurrent with The Real Cost (ambiguous beliefs).Analysis: Descriptive analyses of aggregate changes in beliefs and logistic regressions to examine the association between campaign exposure and beliefs.Intervention: The Real Cost.Results: Agreement with campaign-targeted beliefs increased from baseline to first and second follow-ups, with a mean relative increase of 10.4% and 11.5%, respectively. Nontargeted beliefs did not change substantially. Both measures of campaign exposure were positively associated with increased odds of agreeing with 5 of 8 campaign-targeted beliefs. Exposure was not significantly associated with 12 of 14 nontargeted tobacco-related beliefs.Discussion: A sustained national tobacco public education campaign can change population-level perceptions of tobacco-related harms among youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore gender-related factors that motivate and support men's smoking reduction and cessation to inform effective men-centered interventions. Approach or Design: Focus group design using a semi-structured interview guide.Setting: Three communities in British Columbia, Canada.Participants: A total of 56 men who currently smoked and were interested in reducing or quitting or had quit.Intervention: N/A.Methods: Data collected in 6 focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed in accord with principles of thematic qualitative methods.Results: We report the results across 4 interconnected themes: (1) the fight to quit takes several rounds, (2) the motivation of supportive competition, (3) challenges and benefits of connecting with smoke-free peers, and (4) playing up the physical and financial gains.Conclusions: Masculine-based perspectives positioned quitting alongside fighting for self-control, competing, connecting, physical prowess, and having extra cash as motivating components of programs to engage men in efforts to be smoke-free. It may be worthwhile to consider the inclusion of gain-framed and benefit-focused messaging in programs that support men's tobacco cessation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of electronic cigarettes is one of the most controversial topics in public health. There is intense debate and dividing opinions about their use patterns, health effects and association with smoking. This is expected since they were only recently introduced to the market and they refer to a harm-reduction approach and strategy that is not universally accepted for smoking and tobacco use in the public health community. Three main factors determine the public health impact of electronic cigarettes: (1) their safety/risk profile, both relative to smoking and in absolute terms; (2) their effectiveness for smoking reduction and cessation; (3) the patterns of use by different population subgroups, especially never-smokers, and adoption of use by youth. This analysis presents a brief overview of currently available evidence and gaps in research covering these three factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a text message-based smoking cessation intervention in China.Design: Study design was a randomized control trial with a 6-month follow-up assessment of smoking status.Setting: Zhejiang, Heilongjiang, and Shaanxi provinces in China provided the study setting.Subjects: A total of 8000 adult smokers in China who used Nokia Life Tools and participated in phase 2 (smoking education via text message) of the study were included.Intervention: The high-frequency text contact (HFTC) group received one to three messages daily containing smoking cessation advice, encouragement, and health education information. The low-frequency text contact (LFTC) group received one weekly message with smoking health effects information.Measures: Our primary outcome was smoking status at 0, 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention. Secondary outcomes include participant perceptions of the HFTC intervention, and factors associated with smoking cessation among HFTC participants.Analysis: Descriptive and χ2 analyses were conducted to assess smoking status and acceptability. Factors associated with quitting were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses.Results: Quit rates were high in both the HFTC and LFTC groups (HFTC: 0 month, 27.9%; 1 month, 30.5%; 3 months, 26.7%; and 6 months, 27.7%; LFTC: 0 month, 26.7%; 1 month, 30.4%; 3 months, 28.1%; and 6 months, 27.7%), with no significant difference between the two groups in an intent-to-treat analysis. Attitudes toward the HFTC intervention were largely positive.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a text message-based smoking cessation intervention can be successfully delivered in China and is acceptable to Chinese smokers, but further research is needed to assess the potential impact of this type of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evaluate the perceived effectiveness of key antismoking messages among highly disadvantaged smokers and assess the impact of nicotine dependence and cessation cognitions on message processing.Design: The experimental crossover trial, undertaken between March and December 2012, randomly exposed participants to two of three antismoking advertisements delivered via touchscreen computer.Setting: Welfare recipients were recruited from a community service organization in New South Wales, Australia.Subjects: Subjects were 354 smokers (79% response rate). Participants resided in government rental housing (52%), earned less than AUD$400/wk (72%), and received their primary income from government welfare (95%).Intervention: Three 30-second antismoking television advertisements representing common campaign themes: why to quit (graphic imagery), why to quit (personal testimonial), or how to quit.Measures: An 11-item scale assessed perceived effectiveness and message acceptance. An eight-item cessation cognitions index assessed motivations and readiness to quit, and the heaviness of smoking index was used to classify nicotine dependence.Analysis: Descriptive statistics, generalized linear mixed models, and multiple linear regression analyses are reported.Results: Why-to-quit advertisements were perceived as significantly more effective than the how-to-quit advertisement (all p < .0001). Smokers with positive cessation cognitions were more likely to accept antismoking messages (p = .0003) and perceive them as effective (p < .0001). Nicotine dependence level did not influence message acceptance (p = .7322) or effectiveness (p = .8872).Conclusion: Highly emotive advertisements providing good reasons to quit may be the most effective in promoting the antismoking message among groups with high smoking rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose and test an extension of the planned behavior model to reflect resistance to preventive public health messages. Our results relate to an anti-smoking advertisement and show that the detection of persuasive intent, a promotion-oriented regulatory focus and perceived behavioral control lead to an increase in resistance to persuasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shares an in-depth summary of a formative evaluation that used quantitative data to inform the development and selection of promotional ads for the antismoking communication component of a social marketing campaign. A foundational survey provided cross-sectional data to identify beliefs about quitting smoking, that campaign messages should target, as well as beliefs to avoid. Pretesting draft ads against quantitative indicators of message effectiveness further facilitated the selection and rejection of final campaign ads. Finally, we consider lessons learned from the process of balancing quantitative methods and judgment to make formative decisions about more and less promising persuasive messages for campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine how norm appeals and guilt influence smokers' behavioural intention. Design: Quasi-experimental design. Setting: South Korea. Method: Two hundred and fifty-five male smokers were randomly assigned to descriptive, injunctive, or subjective anti-smoking norm messages. After they viewed the norm messages, their norm perceptions, guilt and behavioural intention were measured. Results: The study revealed several findings: (1) injunctive norm perceptions significantly affected behavioural intention; (2) descriptive norm perceptions had a non-significant impact; (3) subjective norm perceptions had an unexpected impact on behavioural intention; (4) guilt arousal strongly and directly affected behavioural intention in all three conditions; and (5) guilt arousal did not mediate the relationship between norm perceptions and guilt. Conclusion: Injunctive norms messages that smoking in the presence of others is an unacceptable behaviour in society could persuade smokers to alter their behaviours. In addition, our study suggests substantial potentials of guilt in smokers' behaviour change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the USA, the development of the mass production techniques that enabled the mass manufacture of cigarettes in the 1880s coincided with an intense focus on the civic qualities and capacities of the nation’s male youth. As the popularity of the cigarette grew, especially among urban youth, so too did concerns that the habit was crippling the physical, mental and moral faculties required of the good citizen. To date, the few histories that have tackled the nation’s earliest anti-cigarette campaigns have focused on the various legislative enactments designed to regulate the sale and use of the ‘little white slaver’. While incredibly important, these studies have passed over the important and ancillary role of education campaigns that sought to structure the way American youth conceived of the cigarette and the risks of cigarette smoking. In this article, I explore one of the nation’s first mass-mediated anti-cigarette campaigns, conducted through the pages of the nation’s most popular youth periodical – the Youth’s Companion – to show how central ideas of citizenship were to early efforts to shape the ways American youth negotiated the mass market and one of its most nefarious products. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose. To test the effects of a population-based self-efficacy message card campaign on compliance xoiih a tobacco-free campus policy. Setting. This study was conducted at a large public university in the South. Subjects. Three hundred twelve observational periods at 39 campus sites. Intervention. The message card campaign, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, consisted of distributing approximately 6000 efficacy-enhancing cards over 3 days. The intent of the cards was to increase awareness of the policy and resources available to help individuals stop smoking or remain comfortable zohile on campus. Measures. Policy compliance was measured using the Tobacco-Free Compliance Assessment Tool. Field notes were used to assess campaign reaction. Analysis. Mann-WJiitney U-test loas conducted to compare number of cigarette butts in hot spot areas before and after the intervention. A rate ratio was also calculated using Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping sofliuare to compare cigarette butts collected per day before and after the intervention at each of the study sites. Results. The median number of cigarette butts per day after the intervention ivas significantly lower than before the intervention (1.9 vs. 4. 7, x2 :8.1, p= .004). Eighteen sites (66.6 %) had a post-pre ratio of .11 to . 75, indicating a decrease in cigarette butts per day. Conclusion. An efficacy-enhancing message card campaign shows promise in improving compliance with tobacco-free campus polici.es. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of campaign conversation in the generation and diffusion of campaign effects. Based on Hornik’s social diffusion model of campaign influence, this study tests whether campaign conversation, along with campaign exposure, can be a process through which a campaign affects a person’s health perceptions using secondary analyses of the TruthSM campaign data. The results of a multilevel modeling of the Legacy Media Tracking Survey (LMTS) data (n = 10,357) show that the effect of the TruthSM campaign activity in the media on individuals’ smoking-related beliefs was conveyed through campaign exposure and campaign conversation. Theoretical and practical implications for campaign planning and evaluation are discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article summarizes the authors' research on peer influence on smoking behavior among adolescents and related policy implications. It discusses the difference between the strength of peer influence in affecting smoking initiation versus smoking cessation. Topics include the clustering of smoking behavior within social networks and antismoking interventions with adolescents.