Anti-smoking Advertisements Research Articles

Designing Health Games for Anti-Smoking Advertising Targeting College Students: The Impact of Message Types and Voice-Over

Designing Health Games for Anti-Smoking Advertising Targeting College Students: The Impact of Message Types and Voice-Over

Which types of anti-smoking television advertisements work better in Taiwan?

Research in high income countries suggests that anti-smoking television advertisements with emotionally evocative graphic messages or personal testimonials that depict serious consequences from smoking are the most effective. Research to determine the most effective smoking cessation messages for low- and middle-income countries is needed to inform campaign development in these countries. Fifty-four male Taiwanese smokers, aged 18-34, rated advertisements and participated in a focus group to evaluate eight antismoking television advertisements with contrasting messaging strategies. Participants individually evaluated advertisements, after which they participated in a semi-structured focus group discussion (10 groups, 2-9 smokers per group). One week after this session, participants were called to assess advertisement recall. Both quantitative and qualitative data indicated that highly emotional testimonial ads that featured a graphic portrayal of personal suffering from the consequences of smoking and visceral graphic ads were more effective. The ad on tobacco industry denormalization that focuses on the responsibility of the industry for smoking-related harms was considered ineffective because smokers perceived it as having little personal relevance. Humorous advertisements were evaluated as the least effective because they lacked strong emotional content linked to smoking consequences. Qualitative results suggest that advertisement characteristics are more important than the demographic characteristics of people featured in advertisements. Study findings provide preliminary evidence that testimonial ads that involve graphic and emotionally evocative portrayals of smoking-attributed diseases and visceral graphic ads may have the greater potential to motivate Taiwanese smokers to quit smoking.

The Relationship Between Advertising-Induced Anger and Self-efficacy on Persuasive Outcomes: A Test of the Anger Activism Model Using the Truth Campaign.

Turner's Anger Activism Model (AAM) contends anger and efficacy interact in a unique way to determine message responses to campaign materials. This study tested the AAM using responses to 2 truth antismoking advertisements collected in August-October 2014 via an online, cross-sectional survey of 15- to 21-year-olds. Those aware of each of the truth advertisements (n = 319 for each) were organized into 4 anger/efficacy groups. Analysis of variance and regressions were conducted to understand group differences in message-related cognitions (persuasiveness, receptivity, conversation). Message cognitions were highest among the high anger/high efficacy group and lowest among the low anger/low efficacy group.

Web-Based Antismoking Advertising to Promote Smoking Cessation: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundAlthough hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year on public health advertising, the advertisement content, design, and placement are usually developed by intuition rather than research.ObjectiveThe objective of our study was to develop a methodology for testing Web-based advertisements to promote smoking cessation.MethodsWe developed 10 advertisements that varied by their content (those that empower viewers to quit, help viewers to quit, or discuss the effects of smoking). We then conducted a series of Web-based randomized controlled trials that explored the effects of exposing users of Microsoft’s Bing search engine to antismoking advertisements that differed by content, placement, or other characteristics. Finally, we followed users to explore whether they conducted subsequent searches for smoking cessation products or services.ResultsThe advertisements were shown 710,106 times and clicked on 1167 times. In general, empowering advertisements had the greatest impact (hazard ratio [HR] 2.6, standard error [SE] 0.09 relative to nonempowering advertisements), but we observed significant variations by gender. For instance, we found that men exposed to smoking cessation advertisements were less likely than women to subsequently conduct smoking cessation searches (HR 0.2, SE 0.07), but that this likelihood increased 3.5 times in men exposed to advertisements containing empowering content. Women were more influenced by advertisements that emphasized the health effects of smoking. We also found that appearing at the top right of the page (HR 2.1, SE 0.07) or at the bottom rather than the top of a list (HR 1.1, SE 0.02) can improve smoking cessation advertisements’ effectiveness in prompting future searches related to smoking cessation.ConclusionsAdvertising should be targeted to different demographic groups in ways that are not always intuitive. Our study provides a method for testing the effectiveness of Web-based antismoking advertisements and demonstrates the importance of advertisements that are tailored according to specific demographics.

The Ideological and Political Dimensions of the Anti-Smoking and Anti-Drinking Video Advertisements in the Republic of Moldova

ABSTRACTBased on the critical approach in health communication, along with Habermas’s theory of legitimation and Ellul’s theory of propaganda, this qualitative study analyzes the political and ideological dimensions of the video advertisements used in the 2012 anti-smoking and 2014 anti-drinking campaigns in the Republic of Moldova. This analysis shows that these health videos support male domination and exclusion of the poor and legitimate the current political leadership with its declared pro-European orientation. This study uniquely contributes to the critical approach in health communication by focusing on the post-Soviet context in which statehood and national identity are unstable and societies are torn between the Russian and (post-)Soviet influences on one hand and European aspirations on the other. Drawing on critical scholarship in global health communication, this article calls for greater respect and recognition of Moldova’s local culture and definition of health.

Smoking Advertisements and Its Impact on Human Behavior

Advertisements facilitate households to respond to adjust behavior. This study has designed to examine the behavior of individuals about their future health behavior related choices in the light of pro- and antismoking advertisements respectively. Both advertisement follow the Health Belief Model which states that an advertisement must cover the cycle of exposure, recognition, receptivity and agreement respectively. This primary study which covers 222 respondents in order to judge the socioeconomic factors affecting the future decisions of the individuals about smoking using Multinomial Logit Model. This study concluded for prosmoking advertisement, only T.V and movies are encouraging individuals to smoke. However; in anti-smoking advertisement, we have found T.V and movies & magazines and newspapers are also discouraging individuals to smoke. The study indicates that purchase of merchandise promotes individuals to smoke, whereas, the antismoking law is discouraging individuals to smoke.

Evaluation of the National Tips From Former Smokers Campaign: the 2014 Longitudinal Cohort.

IntroductionSince 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has aired a national tobacco education campaign to encourage quitting, Tips From Former Smokers (Tips), which consists of graphic antismoking advertisements that feature former cigarette smokers. We evaluated phase 2 of the 2014 campaign by using a nationally representative longitudinal cohort.MethodsCigarette smokers who participated in a baseline survey were re-contacted for follow-up (n = 4,248) approximately 4 months later, immediately after the campaign’s conclusion. The primary outcomes were incidence of a quit attempt in the previous 3 months, intention to quit within 30 days, and intention to quit within 6 months during the postcampaign period. We used multivariate logistic regression models to estimate the odds of each outcome. We also stratified models by race/ethnicity, education, and mental health status. Postcampaign rates of quit attempts, intentions to quit, and sustained quits were also estimated.ResultsExposure to the campaign was associated with increased odds of a quit attempt in the previous 3 months (OR, 1.17; P = .03) among baseline smokers and intentions to quit within the next 6 months (OR, 1.28; P = .01) among current smokers at follow-up. The Tips campaign was associated with an estimated 1.83 million additional quit attempts, 1.73 million additional smokers intending to quit within 6 months, and 104,000 sustained quits of at least 6 months.ConclusionThe Tips campaign continued to have a significant impact on cessation-related behaviors, providing further justification for the continued use of tobacco education campaigns to accelerate progress toward the goal of reducing adult smoking in the United States.

Which Type of Antismoking Advertisement Is Perceived as More Effective? An Experimental Study With a Sample of Australian Socially Disadvantaged Welfare Recipients.

Evaluate the perceived effectiveness of key antismoking messages among highly disadvantaged smokers and assess the impact of nicotine dependence and cessation cognitions on message processing. The experimental crossover trial, undertaken between March and December 2012, randomly exposed participants to two of three antismoking advertisements delivered via touchscreen computer. Welfare recipients were recruited from a community service organization in New South Wales, Australia. Subjects were 354 smokers (79% response rate). Participants resided in government rental housing (52%), earned less than AUD$400/wk (72%), and received their primary income from government welfare (95%). Three 30-second antismoking television advertisements representing common campaign themes: why to quit (graphic imagery), why to quit (personal testimonial), or how to quit. An 11-item scale assessed perceived effectiveness and message acceptance. An eight-item cessation cognitions index assessed motivations and readiness to quit, and the heaviness of smoking index was used to classify nicotine dependence. Descriptive statistics, generalized linear mixed models, and multiple linear regression analyses are reported. Why-to-quit advertisements were perceived as significantly more effective than the how-to-quit advertisement (all p < .0001). Smokers with positive cessation cognitions were more likely to accept antismoking messages (p = .0003) and perceive them as effective (p < .0001). Nicotine dependence level did not influence message acceptance (p = .7322) or effectiveness (p = .8872). Highly emotive advertisements providing good reasons to quit may be the most effective in promoting the antismoking message among groups with high smoking rates.

Electronic cigarette marketers manipulate antitobacco advertisements to promote vaping

A device commonly used by public health advocates is the alteration of cigarette advertisements to convey an antismoking message.1 ,2 Well-known examples include ‘Joe Chemo’ for Joe Camel and ‘Fool’...

Testing antismoking messages for Air Force trainees

IntroductionYoung adults in the military are aggressively targeted by tobacco companies and are at high risk of tobacco use. Existing antismoking advertisements developed for the general population might be effective...

Evaluation of anti-smoking television advertising on tobacco control among urban community population in Chongqing, China.

BackgroundChina is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. Considering the constantly growing urban proportion, persuasive tobacco control measures are important in urban communities. Television, as one of the most pervasive mass media, can be used for this purpose.MethodsThe anti-smoking advertisement was carried out in five different time slots per day from 15 May to 15 June in 2011 across 12 channels of Chongqing TV. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the main municipal areas of Chongqing. A questionnaire was administered in late June to 1,342 native residents aged 18–45, who were selected via street intercept survey.ResultsRespondents who recognized the advertisement (32.77 %) were more likely to know or believe that smoking cigarettes caused impotence than those who did not recognize the advertisement (26.11 %). According to 25.5 % of smokers, the anti-smoking TV advertising made them consider quitting smoking. However, females (51.7 %) were less likely to be affected by the advertisement to stop and think about quitting smoking compared to males (65.6 %) (OR = 0.517, 95 % CI [0.281–0.950]). In addition, respondents aged 26–35 years (67.4 %) were more likely to try to persuade others to quit smoking than those aged 18–25 years (36.3 %) (OR = 0.457, 95 % CI [0.215–0.974]). Furthermore, non-smokers (87.4 %) were more likely to find the advertisement relevant than smokers (74.8 %) (OR = 2.34, 95 % CI [1.19–4.61]).ConclusionsThis study showed that this advertisement did not show significant differences on smoking-related knowledge and attitude between non-smokers who had seen the ad and those who had not. Thus, this form may not be the right tool to facilitate change in non-smokers. The ad should instead be focused on the smoking population. Gender, smoking status, and age influenced the effect of anti-smoking TV advertising on the general population in China.

A proposed integrated model of resistance to anti-smoking messages

We propose and test an extension of the planned behavior model to reflect resistance to preventive public health messages. Our results relate to an anti-smoking advertisement and show that the detection of persuasive intent, a promotion-oriented regulatory focus and perceived behavioral control lead to an increase in resistance to persuasion.

Ambient Advertising: Analyzing its Effectiveness Using an Anti - Smoking Advertisement

Ambient advertising is uniquely positioned and builds greater involvement . The current study sheds light on the use of ambient advertising and its successful transmission of an anti - smoking message. The study involved the development of an anti-smoking ambient advertisement and understanding its effectiveness among the youth using a questionnaire, interviews, and observations. The results revealed that the youth were ready to change their intent of getting fascinated by smoking.

Smoking among a national sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health service staff.

To examine smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff of Aboriginal community-controlled health services (ACCHSs). The Talking About The Smokes (TATS) project surveyed 374 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at a national sample of 31 ACCHSs, from April 2012 to October 2013. We made comparisons with adult participants in the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) and with 1643 smokers in a community sample of 2522 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also surveyed in the TATS project. Smoking status, smoking behaviour at work, quitting behaviour, attitudes and beliefs about smoking and quitting. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ACCHS staff had a lower smoking prevalence than among all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults surveyed in the NATSISS (38% v 49.8%), but this difference was smaller when compared with only employed adults (38% v 44.8%). Staff smokers had higher odds than smokers in their communities of ever trying to quit (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-3.7), of having often noticed anti-smoking advertising (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.4-5.6), and of having used stop-smoking medications (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.6-5.7), often with the support of their ACCHS. There was a significant association (P<0.001) between the smoking status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and their confidence in talking to others about smoking and quitting; ex-smokers were most likely to report being confident. Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff who smoked (74%) agreed that being a non-smoker sets a good example to patients at their health service, and most did not smoke with patients or at work where patients could see them. Smoking prevalence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ACCHS staff is only modestly lower than among other employed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Given that ex-smokers feel more confident to help others quit than any other group, smoking cessation in ACCHS staff is a useful contributor to reducing community smoking rates.

Disgust in fear appeal anti-smoking advertisements: The effects on attitudes and abstinence motivation

Aims: The use of fear appeals with disgusting graphical content is part of current practice in health campaigns. Previous studies have suggested both a detrimental and a beneficial effect of disgust in fear appeals on different types of outcome measures. We were interested in whether disgust in anti-smoking messages decreases or increases persuasion as measured by motivation to abstain from smoking and attitudes towards smoking. Methods: In two online experiments (total N = 1045), smokers (26%) and non-smokers were randomly assigned to watch fear appeal anti-smoking ads that elicited high versus moderate levels of disgust but similar levels of fear. Smokers reported motivation to quit, while non-smokers reported motivation to not start smoking. All participants reported explicit attitudes toward smoking and performed an Implicit Association Test that measures implicit attitudes toward smoking and cigarettes. Findings: There were no differences between these conditions, except on a measure of implicit attitudes. However, this effect was not replicated in the second study, and analyses across studies revealed no substantial difference between the conditions. Conclusions: In the current context, there were no or potentially very small benefits of using disgust elements when level of fear was held constant (i.e. compared to other means of inducing negative emotions).

Cigarette smoking and perception of its advertisement among antenatal clinic attendees in referral health facilities in Enugu, Nigeria.

The most predominant form of tobacco use is cigarette smoking, and it poses serious threats to maternal and child health. The magnitude of cigarette smoking in pregnancy in our environment is not well-known. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking among pregnant women in Enugu, Nigeria as well as their exposures and perceptions of cigarette smoking advertisement. Questionnaires were administered to a cross-section of pregnant women randomly selected from three hospitals in Enugu, South-East Nigeria, from May 2, 2012 to June 12, 2012. Analysis was both descriptive and inferential at 95% confidence levels. The prevalence of tobacco smoking in pregnancy was 4.5% (9/200). Over 90% of respondents admitted that cigarette smoking could harm both mother and unborn baby. In all, 79.5% (159/200) of respondents had seen or heard of advertisement for cigarette smoking as against 82.5% (165/200) that had seen or heard of antismoking advertisement (P = 0.444, odds ratio = 1.2 [95% confidence intervals: 0.74, 2.00]). The prevalence of cigarette smoking in pregnancy in Enugu, Nigeria was low, and there was high exposure to both pro-and anti-smoking advertisement. The awareness of harmful health effect of smoking was high but, that of the specific diseases associated with smoking in pregnancy was limited. Hence, antenatal classes and antismoking advertisement should be scaled-up to include maternal and peri-natal diseases/conditions associated with cigarette smoking.

Communication through Advocacy Advertising for Public Health Promotion

This research work is an investigation into the reception of anti-smoking advertisements that make use of The objective of the research is to bring audience perceptions, interpretations and making sense processes of such advertising campaigns to the limelight. Instead of measuring effects or effectiveness of anti-smoking messages using shocking images, this project has at its basis the assumption of an active audience that interprets, makes sense and decodes media texts in various ways. Research methods used in this study are qualitative by nature. Research findings show that the prospective audience champion the use of anti-smoking advertisements and see the use of fear appeals as a one-way road to drawing the audience's attention, they nevertheless perceive these communication efforts in a highly individualized manner, resisting to advertising techniques of persuasion and showing signs of desensitization towards fear appeals. Findings show that advocacy advertising using fear appeals are always decoded within the wider media context and the identity of smokers themselves often nourished by media representations of smoking, which plays an role in the way the audience gives different interpretations and relates to these messages.

Anti-smoking themes – what works best for adolescents?

Because of the heavy social and economic costs that it carries with it, smoking has become an important concern for a vast variety of stakeholders, from physicians to policy makers, among others. At the same time, however, there is the recognition that despite increasing restrictions, it is hard to compete with tobacco companies’ advertising and promotional budgets and efforts. Notwithstanding, there is some evidence that anti-smoking campaigns and advertisements can help mitigate the effects of such promotions and so contribute to reductions in smoking behaviours. In this sense, social marketing can have a fundamental role to play in promoting smoking cessation or helping avoid smoking adoption behaviours. Because most smokers adopt this behaviour at an early age, our interest in this paper lies on adolescent smoking behaviours, and in particular on how social marketing campaigns (through print advertisements, for instance) can help reduce smoking intentions. Against the backdrop of the Protection Motivation theory, the impact of different anti-smoking themes are tested for their impact on the perceived risks of smoking, adolescents’ ability to resist such behaviour, and their effect on smoking intentions. The results are promising, and provide important indications with regard to the types of themes which most impact adolescents.

Theories and Messages in South Korean Antismoking Advertising

This study evaluated antismoking advertisements in South Korean television by drawing upon a Health Communication article by Cohen, Shumate, and Gold (2007) and on Gold, Cohen, and Shumate’s (2008) typology. This study examined the theories and messages in South Korean antismoking advertisements. First, South Korean antismoking advertisements primarily targeted adults. In addition, the advertisements for adults normally used statistical evidence, whereas those for adolescents often used testimonial evidence. In terms of the type of performance, narration was often used in advertisements for both adults and adolescents. Second, the most prevalent persuasive health message used social norms, whereas the most prevalent affective appeal used fear appeals. Third, antismoking advertisements in South Korea mentioned more benefits of not smoking than barriers to not smoking. This study also identified the message difference in the U.S. and South Korean antismoking advertisements.

Tobacco health warning messages on plain cigarette packs and in television campaigns: a qualitative study with Australian socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers.

Television advertisements, packaging regulations and health warning labels (HWLs) are designed to communicate anti-smoking messages to large number of smokers. However, only a few studies have examined how high smoking prevalence groups respond to these warnings. This study explored how socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers engage with health risk and cessation benefit messages. Six focus groups were conducted over September 2012-April 2013 with adult clients of welfare organizations in regional New South Wales, Australia who were current smokers (n = 51). Participants discussed HWLs, plain packaging and anti-smoking television advertisements. Discussions were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Highly emotive warnings delivering messages of negative health effects were most likely to capture the attention of the study participants; however, these warning messages did not prompt quit attempts and participants were sceptical about the effectiveness of cessation programmes such as telephone quitlines. Active avoidance of health warning messages was common, and many expressed false and self-exempting beliefs towards the harms of tobacco. Careful consideration of message content and medium is required to communicate the anti-smoking message to disadvantaged smokers who consider themselves desensitized to warnings. Health communication strategies should continue to address false beliefs about smoking and educate on cessation services that are currently underutilized.