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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Erin L. Sutfin, PhD, Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 2000 W. First Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27104, 336-713-5282, esutfin@wfubmc.edu, Lisa Szykman, PhD, Mason School of Business, College of William and Mary, Tyler Hall, Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187, and Marian Chapman Moore, PhD, Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virgina, PO Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550.

Background: Anti-smoking mass media advertisements use a variety of message strategies, but little evidence exists as to which approach is most effective. This study compares three popular thematic strategies, Negative Life Circumstances (“NLC”), Endangering Others (“EO”), Industry Manipulation (“IM”), and their impact on teens' intentions to smoke.

Methods: A controlled, randomized trial was used to examine the effects of three thematic approaches on 488 adolescents' intentions to smoke. Teens' mean age was 15.1 years, 59.3% were females, and 15% were smokers. Teens were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (Control, NLC, IM, EO). Various measures were taken before and after exposure to the test ads which included health behaviors, emotional and cognitive responses to the ads, comprehension and smoking intentions.

Results: Regardless of smoking status, teens exposed to the NLC ads reported lower intentions to smoke (M=2.35, SE=.09) than did teens exposed to Control (M=2.73, SE=.10) or IM ads (M=2.74, SE=.11). Teens exposed to NLC ads also reported more positive emotions and higher levels of comprehension than did teens exposed to the other anti-tobacco ads.

Conclusion: Results suggest that NLC themed ads may have a direct and measurable effect on teens' intentions to smoke. Possible mechanisms through which the NLC ads may impact smoking intentions are through increasing positive emotions and using an easily comprehensible anti-tobacco message. These findings indicate that a mass media campaign focusing on the negative life circumstances of smoking can be an effective component of a tobacco control program aimed at teens.

Learning Objectives: