Increasing youths' exposure to a tobacco prevention media campaign in rural and low-population-density communities.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the effectiveness of a program to increase exposure to national "truth" tobacco countermarketing messages among youths in rural and low-population-density communities.


METHODS
A longitudinal survey of 2618 youths aged 12 to 17 years was conducted over 5 months in 8 media markets receiving supplemental advertising and 8 comparison markets receiving less than the national average of "truth" messages.


RESULTS
Confirmed awareness of "truth" increased from 40% to 71% among youths in treatment markets while remaining stable in comparison markets. Over 35% of all youths who were unaware of the campaign at baseline became aware of it as a direct result of the increased advertising. Youths living in rural and low-population-density communities were receptive to the campaign's messages.


CONCLUSIONS
Through purchase of airtime in local broadcast media, the reach of a national tobacco countermarketing campaign was expanded among youths living in rural and low-population-density areas. This strategy of augmenting delivery of nationally broadcast antitobacco ads can serve as a model for leveraging limited tobacco control resources to increase the impact of evidence-based tobacco prevention campaigns.
Duke
Jennifer C
JC
American Legacy Foundation, Washington, DC, USA. jduke@rti.org
Vallone
Donna M
DM
Allen
Jane A
JA
Cullen
Jennifer
J
Mowery
Paul D
PD
Xiao
Haijun
H
Dorrler
Nicole
N
Asche
Eric T
ET
Healton
Cheryl
C
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000191:economics; D012424:Rural Population; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D014481:United States