The impact of anti-drug advertising. Perceptions of middle and high school students.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the perceived impact of anti-drug advertising on the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior pertaining to youth drug use and to evaluate the influence of demographic characteristics, media exposure, and substance use on the likelihood of perceiving a deterrent effect of anti-drug advertisements.


METHODS
Anonymous, self-administered survey.


METHODS
Urban and suburban public schools.


METHODS
Eight hundred thirty-seven students in middle and high school (52% suburban, 50% male, 48% white) were studied in group convenience samples.


METHODS
Self-report of the impact of anti-drug advertising on knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behavior pertaining to drug use.


RESULTS
Overall, 83% (95% confidence interval [CI], 80% to 86%) of the student sample was exposed to anti-drug advertising. A majority of these students reported a positive impact of anti-drug advertisements: 92% (95% CI, 89% to 95%) perceived an increase in their knowledge of drugs; 60% (95% CI, 56% to 64%) felt they gained stronger beliefs about the dangers of drugs; 52% (95% CI, 48% to 56%) felt they developed more negative attitudes toward drug users; and 75% (95% CI, 72% to 78%) reported that they had decreased, stopped, or been convinced never to initiate drug use. Multivariate analysis revealed that the non-drug-using, urban, and younger students were most likely to perceive a deterrent impact on behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Anti-drug advertising was perceived to have a deterrent effect on self-reported substance use among this population of adolescents.
Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.
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Reis
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Duggan
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Adger
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DeAngelis
D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D013334:Students; D013383:Suburban Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations