Evaluation of ad strategies for preventing youth tobacco use
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Even as smoking rates among adults continue to decline, the rate for adolescents has begun to rise again in the past few years. With this as backdrop, it becomes more important than ever to develop unique ways of reaching youngsters in an effort to dissuade them from smoking. A few states, California and Massachusetts in particular, have been actively developing and airing TV messages targeted uniquely at young people. The few efforts to assess the effectiveness of these and other campaigns have yielded mixed results. California’s anti-smoking efforts, based on Proposition 99, appear to have been more successful with adults than with adolescents. Massachusetts’ efforts are still in their early stages. Moreover, little has been done to disentangle the very different types of messages that have been used in order to assess which approach might be most effective. A review of the various messages that have been developed across the country suggests three main approaches:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1) Health Consequences of Smoking. These messages portray the health consequences of smoking, from those that are nearer term, such as impaired breathing and asthma, to the longer term consequences that include lung and throat cancer. While teens, feeling “invulnerable,” may try to disassociate themselves from these messages, the demonstration of the consequences of smoking might be effective when done well.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2) Shifting Normative Perceptions of Smoking. When asked, most adolescents (incorrectly) indicate that they believe a majority of their peers smoke. This misperception results in their feeling vulnerable to social pressures to smoke. A set of messages have been developed to suggest that not only do most teens not smoke, but that the majority of teens regard smoking as “uncool” and socially unaccept-able.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3) A Portrayal of Tobacco Marketing Strategies. A primary motivation leading teens to smoke appears to be their desire to portray themselves as independent and “grown up.” A set of messages has been developed to disassociate cigarettes from this motivation. The messages describe how tobacco marketing strategies can lead young people to smoke. These strategies can, in effect, “rob” teenagers of their ability to make their own decisions. It is hoped that an understanding of the marketing/advertising process will lead teens to react by rejecting the tobacco firms’ persuasive efforts and thus reject cigarettes as a symbol of independence and maturity. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The proposed study will select the best of each of these types of messages that are available. Comparable groups of adolescents will be exposed to one of the three types of messages (or a combination of all three) in an effort to determine which type can best help them to resist starting to smoke. The adolescents’ responses, including how they view smokers and whether they themselves intend to start smoking, will be compared to an equivalent (control) group that remains unexposed to any of the anti-smoking messages.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 It is our hope that the proposed research can provide direction to state public health officials regarding which type of message will be most effective in helping teens resist cigarette smoking.