The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #70357

Jeff McKenna, MS, Chief, Health Communications Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, MS K-50, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770-488-5705, jwm0@cdc.gov, Lyndon Haviland, PhD, Chief Operating Officer, American Legacy Foundation, 1001 G Street, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20001, and Chitra Subramanian, Coordinator, External Relations, Tobacco Free Initiative, World Health Organization, 20, Avenue Appia, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland.

This presentation will focus on principles and practices developed for tobacco counter-marketing, derived from a June 2003 consensus conference sponsored by the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Free Initiative, the American Legacy Foundation, and CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. Tobacco counter-marketing is media-based efforts to counter pro-tobacco influences and increase pro-health messages/influences. A growing number of tobacco control programs around the world are including counter-marketing as part of their comprehensive efforts to reduce tobacco use. Evaluations of these counter-marketing efforts and of the overall tobacco control programs have indicated that counter-marketing, as a component of a comprehensive tobacco control program, is an effective strategy for reducing overall tobacco consumption, increasing cessation among tobacco users, reducing youth initiation, and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke.

The June conference will include topics such as: strengths/limitations of mass communications; role of counter-marketing in policy/regulatory spectrum; local and regional tailoring by geography; targeting; messages/themes/appeals; risk perception and sensation seeking among youth; and tobacco industry “youth prevention” campaigns. The goal is to develop a consensus set of principles and practices on tobacco counter-marketing, and these principles/practices will be shared in the APHA conference presentation. The breadth of countries and perspectives to be represented at this conference offers a unique opportunity to learn from a diverse range of experiences. Although the conference will focus on tobacco counter-marketing, the principles shared at APHA will be applicable to campaigns that address other high risk behaviors as well.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to:
• 1)Understand the role that tobacco counter-marketing efforts play in a comprehensive tobacco control program
• 2)List the key principles and practices for conducting an effective counter-marketing campaign.
• 3)Apply the principles and practices to their own work as they develop campaigns to change high risk behaviors.

Keywords: Media Campaigns, Tobacco Control

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.