title: Increasing youths' exposure to a tobacco prevention media campaign in rural and low-population-density communities.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: American Legacy Foundation, Washington, DC, USA. jduke@rti.org
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Duke
authors.forename: Donna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Vallone
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Mowery
authors.forename: Haijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dorrler
authors.forename: Eric T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Asche
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Healton
mesh_terms: 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