title: Impact of the 'Giving Cigarettes is Giving Harm' campaign on knowledge and attitudes of Chinese smokers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To date there is limited published evidence on the efficacy of tobacco control mass media campaigns in China. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a mass media campaign 'Giving Cigarettes is Giving Harm' (GCGH) on Chinese smokers' knowledge of smoking-related harms and attitudes towards cigarette gifts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based, representative data were analysed from a longitudinal cohort of 3709 adult smokers who participated in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) China Survey conducted in six Chinese cities before and after the campaign. Logistic regression models were estimated to examine associations between campaign exposure and attitudes towards cigarette gifts measured post-campaign. Poisson regression models were estimated to assess the effects of campaign exposure on post-campaign knowledge, adjusting for pre-campaign knowledge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen percent (n=335) of participants recalled the campaign within the cities where the GCGH campaign was implemented. Participants in the intervention cities who recalled the campaign were more likely to disagree that cigarettes are good gifts (71% vs 58%, p<0.01) and had greater levels of campaign-targeted knowledge than those who did not recall the campaign (mean=1.97 vs 1.62, p<0.01). Disagreeing that cigarettes are good gifts was higher in intervention cities than in control cities. Changes in campaign-targeted knowledge were similar in both cities, perhaps due to a secular trend, low campaign recall or contamination issues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the GCGH campaign increased knowledge of smoking harms, which could promote downstream cessation. This study provides evidence to support future campaign development to effectively fight the tobacco epidemic in China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Li-Ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thrasher
authors.affiliation: National Tobacco Control Office, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: National Tobacco Control Office, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Tobacco Control Office, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Geoffrey T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.affiliation: World Lung Foundation, New York City, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Yvette
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Katrina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Walsemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Daniela B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D037921:Gift Giving; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D008875:Middle Aged; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D062789:Tobacco Products
keywords: Low/Middle income country; Media; Prevention; Social marketing