Legacy's EX Campaign: Results from a smoking cessation pilot program in four U.S. cities

The EX Campaign is designed to reduce barriers to successful quitting by providing and promoting cessation services, and by changing smoker's knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about quitting. The Campaign was piloted in four U.S. cities (Buffalo, NY; Baltimore, MD; San Antonio, TX; Grand Rapids, MI) for six months beginning in the fall and winter of 2006. Phase I of the pilot made use of a mass media campaign to drive smokers to telephone and Internet counseling and a free quit manual. Phase II used media to change smokers' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about quitting.

Evaluation of EX included both site-specific and cross-site studies. Cross-site data collection focused on awareness of and receptivity to campaign advertising and utilization of EX services. Site-specific studies examined campaign receptivity among African Americans and Hispanics, effectiveness of the EX manual and the impact of free nicotine replacement therapy. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted in Grand Rapids, where cross sectional and longitudinal data were collected to assess the campaign impact on campaign-related knowledge, attitudes and behavior at three and six months post-campaign launch.

This presentation will introduce the EX campaign pilot and highlight selected results to date, including data on ad receptivity, call volume for telephone counseling services, web traffic and receptivity to EX's online services, the efficacy of the EX manual and campaign-associated changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior.