Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105531

Philip C. Palmgreen, PhD¹, Elizabeth P. Lorch, PhD², Michael T. Stephenson, PHD³, Lewis Donohew, PhD¹, Rick H. Hoyle, PhD⁴, and Stephanie Sweatt, MA². (1) Department of Communication, University of Kentucky, 406 S. Limestone St., Lexington, KY 40506, 859-257-7801, pcpalm1@uky.edu, (2) Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 406 S. Limestone St., Lexington, KY 40506, (3) Communication, Texas A & M University, 4234 Tamu, College Station, TX 77843, (4) Department of Psychology, Duke University, 9 Flowers Drive, Durham, NC 27708

In July, 1998, The Office of National Drug Control Policy launched the largest national anti-drug media campaign in our nation's history. Initially designed as a 5-year, $1 billion effort to prevent and reduce drug use (especially marijuana use) among youth, the campaign continues today and has been the subject of much controversy. Widely considered ineffective in reducing marijuana use four years into its execution, the campaign underwent a major revamping involving a series of “hard-hitting” messages featuring negative outcomes of marijuana use from October, 2002—June, 2003. This paper examines the effectiveness of this Marijuana Initiative on a primary target audience—youth who are high sensation seekers (HSS), a trait strongly related to substance use. The study employed an innovative interrupted time-series design involving two moderate size media markets. Interviews were gathered from monthly independent random samples of 100 adolescents in each community for 48 months, allowing a fine-grained longitudinal analysis of marijuana use and other trends in a cohort which aged from the 4th-8th grades to the 8th-12th grades. HSS youth displayed a strong upward trend in 30-day marijuana use prior to the Marijuana Initiative, followed by a sharp downward trend (p<.001) after the start of the Initiative. There also were significant reductions in positive marijuana attitudes and beliefs, but no reductions in use of two substances not part of the campaign (tobacco and alcohol). Low sensation seekers were not affected by the Initiative. Results point toward more effective anti-drug media interventions for at-risk youth.

Learning Objectives:

• 3. Discuss the importance of targeting high sensation-seeking youth in media campaigns to prevent drug use.
  7. Recognize the efficacy of PSAs featuring negative consequences of drug use.

Keywords: Drug Use, Media Campaigns

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation