Nicotine Tob Res. 2022 Jun 24:ntac152. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntac152. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Anti-tobacco media campaigns can prevent youth smoking, but there is little research on how adult-targeted campaigns affect youth. We investigated the association between the Tips From Former Smokers (Tips) campaign and youth smoking behaviors and anti-tobacco attitudes, and variation by sex, race/ethnicity, or socioeconomic status (SES).
METHODS: We used data from the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, a nationally representative survey on 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, from 2013-2015. Quartiles of Tips gross rating points (GRPs) were used to estimate exposure. Youth smoking behavior outcomes included smoking prevalence, initiation, and susceptibility. The anti-tobacco attitude outcomes included the extent that anti-tobacco ads made participants (a) less favorable towards smoking or (b) less likely to smoke cigarettes. Modified Poisson regression models estimated average marginal effects; separate additive interactions between Tips GRP exposure and sex, race/ethnicity, parents’ highest education, and college plans (12th graders only) were used to test for effect modification.
RESULTS: Tips GRPs were not associated with smoking behaviors within any grade. However, 12 th graders in the highest quartile of Tips had a 7.0 percentage point higher probability (95%CI=0.023-0.116) of responding that anti-tobacco ads made them less likely to smoke. Tips GRPs were associated with a lower probability of past 30-day smoking prevalence among 10 th grade females, but not males (joint p-value=0.002). No additional statistically significant interactions were found for any other outcomes for any grade.
CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the potential for adult-targeted campaigns to increase youth’s anti-smoking attitudes, but campaign exposure was not associated with smoking behaviors.
IMPLICATIONS: Few studies have examined the potential for anti-smoking media campaigns to influence audiences outside their targeted audience. In this study, we show the potential for adult-targeted campaigns to impact youth and suggests that Tips exposure may promote anti-smoking attitudes among youth.
PMID:35749779 | DOI:10.1093/ntr/ntac152
