The proportion of student smokers who bought cigarettes in stores correspondingly declined, from 48 percent in 1995 to 33 percent in 1997. Media campaigns have increased public understanding of tobacco risks. Surveys compared Massachusetts residents who were exposed to specific media campaigns to people in and out of Massachusetts who were not exposed, showing that the campaign had significant effects on public beliefs. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in Massachusetts, as elsewhere in the nation, resulting in an estimated 10,000 deaths in Massachusetts each year. The MTCP strategy is to provide tobacco information and services to Massachusetts residents in a variety of settings through a variety of channels.
Some programs serve very broad populations, such as the general public, adults who smoke, and youth.
Information and services are delivered in such diverse venues as worksites, schools, health care settings, community centers, and the home. This coordinated array of diverse initiatives draws on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's experience with community programming, adapting a model that the National Cancer Institute established through a decade of research and development. Program Organization and Services MTCP funds a comprehensive network of statewide, regional, and community-based tobacco control programs. Each program and service type plays a unique role, working together to change community norms that support tobacco use, prevent first use, and help smokers quit. There are two program modalities that actively support and enforce tobacco regulations in cities and towns.