Effects of Different Types of Antismoking Ads on Reducing Disparities in Smoking Cessation Among Socioeconomic Subgroups

Abstract

Objectives-We assessed which types of mass media messages might reduce disparities in smoking prevalence among disadvantaged population subgroups.Methods-We followed 1491 adult smokers over 24 months and related quitting status at followup to exposure to antismoking ads in the 2 years prior to the baseline assessment.Results-On average, smokers were exposed to more than 200 antismoking ads during the 2-year period, as estimated by televised gross ratings points (GRPs). The odds of having quit at follow-up increased by 11% with each 10 additional potential ad exposures (per 1000 points, odds ratio [OR] =1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.00, 1.23; P<.05). Greater exposure to ads that contained highly emotional elements or personal stories drove this effect (OR=1.14; 95% CI 1.02, 1.29; P<. 05), which was greater among respondents with low and mid-socioeconomic status than among highsocioeconomic status groups.Conclusions-Emotionally evocative ads and ads that contain personalized stories about the effects of smoking and quitting hold promise for efforts to promote smoking cessation and reduce socioeconomic disparities in smoking.Tobacco use inflicts the greatest burden of illness on those least able to afford it. 1,2 An enormous challenge for tobacco control is how to tackle the consistently higher levels of smoking prevalence found among disadvantaged groups, 3-5 especially because these gaps may be widening. 6,7 Televised antismoking campaigns provide an effective population-wide method of preventing smoking uptake, 8,9 promoting adult smoking cessation, 10 and reducing adult smoking prevalence, 11 and research indicates that some types of ads may be more effective than others. Antismoking messages that produce strong emotional arousal, Correspondence should be sent to Sarah Durkin, PhD, Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, The Cancer Council Victoria, 1 Rathdowne St, Carlton, Victoria, Australia, 3053 (sarah.durkin@cancervic.org.au). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link. ContributorsAll authors helped to design the study. S. J. Durkin completed the analyses and led the writing. L. Biener designed and supervised the survey data collection, contributed to the writing, and supervised the study. M. A. Wakefield completed ad coding and contributed to the writing. Human Participant ProtectionThe protocol was approved by the institutional review board of the University of Massachusetts, Boston. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptAm J Public Health. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 December 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript particularly personal stories or graphic portrayals of the health effects of smoking, tend to perform well 12 ; they are perceived to be more effective than others, are more memorable, and generate more thought and discussion. [13][14][15][16] However, it is unclear whether different types of messages might maintain, increase, or mitigate the disparities in smoking prevalence across ...

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The belief that secondhand smoke causes serious illness among Chinese smokers: Smoking cessation and intention to quit

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