Content analysis of the use of fear in The Real Cost Youth E-cigarette Prevention Campaign

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The epidemic of youth electronic cigarette use has become an alarming public health concern. To address this urgent issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched ‘The Real Cost Youth E-cigarette Prevention Campaign’ in late September 2018 as part of the Youth Tobacco Prevention Plan to warn teens about the dangers of e-cigarette use. The campaign used digital and social media websites that are popular among youth, deployed video games hosted on a designated website, and distributed posters to schools across the country. Method We conducted a qualitative content analysis to assess whether the three venues and featured messages employed appropriate approaches. We utilized the existing literature and past successful campaigns to evaluate the campaign’s messaging to prevent youth e-cigarette use. Results The choice of communication venues was innovative and potentially effective. However, the campaign featured repeated use of fear-based messages in these advertisements. The campaign did not feature messages empowering youth and promoting specific healthy behaviors. Conclusion We propose more evidence-based messaging that features positive and empowering strategies for youth to model healthy behavioral changes and directly targeted campaigns with youth involvement against youth-targeting advertising and marketing by the tobacco industry. Accompanying the campaign, social policies directed toward youth need to be enacted to create synergy across youth e-cigarette prevention efforts. Moving beyond the outcomes of attitudes and beliefs, more research is needed to evaluate the impact of these enhanced population-wide communication strategies on reducing and preventing youth e-cigarette use.