246115 ButtOut Media Campaign

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Ellie Schweizer , Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program, Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness, Louisville, KY
Nearly every adult who smokes (almost 90 percent) took his/her first puff at/or before the age of 18. The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that mass media campaigns are effective at informing youth about smoking hazards & promoting cessation actions and services. The CDC reports that health communication interventions are powerful tools for preventing smoking initiation, promoting and facilitating cessation and shaping social norms related to tobacco use. Effective messages targeted appropriately can stimulate public support for tobacco control interventions and create a supportive climate for policy and programmatic community efforts. Teens communicate through electronic media via text messaging and social networking. The “ButtOut” program was created to provide a resource for teens to use their mobile phone to assist with smoking cessation advice and education and an avenue for young people to get up to date, valid health education information on tobacco use. Marketing for this program was evaluated for potential of cell phones, other mobile devices, social networking sites, printed media and radio, to revolutionize public health communications, particularly in aiding young people to stop smoking. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Butt-Out-Louisville/120477307988570

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Communication and informatics
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the effectiveness of SMS/text messaging smoking cessation text messaging media campaign for teens

Keywords: Tobacco, Media Campaigns

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.