Effects of a short-term mass-media campaign against smoking

Abstract

Although the benefits of continuous antismoking media campaigns are clear, 1 Schar EH Gutierrez KK Smoking cessation media campaigns from around the world: recommendations from lessons learned. http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_324.pdfDate: Nov, 2001 Google Scholar little is known about the effects of short-term programmes on attempts to quit smoking by the general population. In The Lancet, Timothy McAfee and colleagues 2 McAfee T Davis KC Alexander Jr, RL Pechacek TF Bunnell R Effect of the first federally funded US antismoking national media campaign. Lancet. 2013; (published online Sept 9.)http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61686-4 PubMed Google Scholar report on a national antismoking campaign funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, called “Tips from Former Smokers” (Tips), which was delivered via television, print, digital, and other media outlets for 3 months. Development of advertisements for the Tips campaign was rigorous and considered a diverse set of smokers' opinions about what would help them quit. Hard-hitting, emotional, and graphic real-life stories were produced that emphasised the effects of smoking-related disease on quality of life, rather than focusing on risk of death. Effect of the first federally funded US antismoking national media campaignThe high-exposure Tips media campaign was effective at increasing population-level quit attempts. The growth in smokers who quit and became sustained quitters could have added from a third to almost half a million quality-adjusted life-years to the US population. Expanded implementation of similar campaigns globally could accelerate progress on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and reduce smoking prevalence globally. Full-Text PDF