Anti-tobacco messages from different sources make a difference with secondary school students.
Mass media campaigns are often effective in reducing tobacco use, but research has typically focused on these campaigns without considering other sources of anti-tobacco information. The present study examined whether the number of sources of anti-tobacco information (family, sports, and other community events, advertisements, and the Internet), made a difference in use and attitudes of high school students. A representative sample of 1,151 students in grades 6 to 12 in one southeastern state were interviewed at school on cell phones provided by researchers. They reported on average 2.49 of the 4 sources of anti-tobacco information. Students who heard anti-tobacco messages from a variety of sources of information were less likely to use tobacco than students who heard anti-tobacco messages from few sources. Never-users, nonsmokers, and relatively younger youth reported more sources than ever-users, smokers, and relatively older youth. Surprisingly, those who reported more sources labeled smokers as attractive more than those who reported fewer sources. Although having a variety of sources of anti-tobacco messages is associated with less tobacco use, an implication of present results is that anti-tobacco information needs to convey the point that using tobacco is ugly.
Reinert
Bonita
B
Center for Tobacco Prevention and Health Promotion, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA.
Carver
Vivien
V
Range
Lillian M
LM
D000293:Adolescent; D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D018570:Risk Assessment; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D062789:Tobacco Products