In the modern world, a significant amount of attention is paid to social problems, including youth smoking. The article in question elaborates on the influence of antismoking advertisements on youth smoking rates. It is believed that promoting a healthy lifestyle that excludes such habits can have an impact on people and prevent adolescents from using tobacco. For instance, in 1998, the Florida Department of Health decided to create a media campaign under the name of “truth.” The main purpose of this initiative was to affect young people and oppose the smoking industry. The used methods included broadcasting advertisements on television, where the main characters were adolescents that despised smoking.
The researchers investigated the outcomes of this campaign, and whether it helped to decrease national smoking rates among American adolescents. To conduct this study, they used data from “the Monitoring the Future survey in a pre/post quasi-experimental design to relate trends in youth smoking prevalence” (Farrelly et al., p. 425). This information helped the researchers to analyze if the “truth” campaign managed to achieve its goal and to reduce the doses in which adolescents smoke. The research group consisted of 50000 children in grades 8, 10, and 12.
The outcomes of the study revealed that the idea was a success since it managed to contribute to a significant decline in youth smoking. Most adolescents agree that smoking negatively affects health, and this belief was imposed by the campaign. However, further research on this topic is needed regarding anti-tobacco advertising. For instance, it is possible to conduct a similar study that focuses on the impact of different advertising formats. It would be helpful to discover if a particular method of promotion works better than the other.
Reference
Farrelly, M. C., Davis, K. C., Haviland, M. L., Messeri, P., & Healton, C. G. (2005). Evidence of a dose—response relationship between “truth” antismoking Ads and youth smoking prevalence. American journal of public health, 95(3), 425-431.