title: Perceptions of a drug prevention public service announcement campaign among street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada: a qualitative study.
abstract: Due to the popularity of public service announcements (PSAs), as well as the broader health and social harms associated with illicit drug use, this study sought to investigate how drug prevention messages found in the Government of Canada's DrugsNot4Me campaign were understood, experienced, and engaged with among a group of street-involved young people in Vancouver, Canada.
  
  
  
  Qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 individuals enrolled in the At-Risk Youth Study, and a thematic analysis was conducted.
  
  
  
  Findings indicate that the campaign's messages neither resonated with "at-risk youth", nor provided information or resources for support. In some cases, the messaging exacerbated the social suffering experienced by these individuals.
  
  
  
  This study underscores the importance of rigorous evaluation of PSAs and the need to consider diverting funds allocated to drug prevention campaigns to social services that can meaningfully address the structural drivers of drug-related harms among vulnerable youth populations.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.|School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, K9671-8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: Lianlian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ti
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.|Department of Medicine, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.
authors.forename: Danya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fast
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.|Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 11300-8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Small
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul's Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. uhri-tk@cfenet.ubc.ca.|Department of Medicine, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada. uhri-tk@cfenet.ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0870-7153
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kerr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D066308:Public Service Announcements as Topic; D036301:Qualitative Research; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control*; D035862:Vulnerable Populations; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Illicit drug use; Public health communication campaign; Public service announcement; Social suffering; Street-involved youth