The Dissemination and Content of Drug Prevention Public Service Announcements

Abstract

Drug Prevention public service announcements (PSA) campaigns have historically been unsuccessful, in part because of dissemination problems and a lack of targeting and message development. This study looked at one week's television programming to address the dissemination issue. Content analysis was used to discern the target and type of appeals used in drug prevention PSAs. Implications for future research to aid PSA developers in creating effective PSAs are discussed.