Erin Ruel

Effect of restrictions on smoking at home, at school, and in public places on teenage smoking: cross sectional study

Abstract Objective: To determine the relation between extent of restrictions on smoking at home, at school, and in public places and smoking uptake and smoking prevalence among school students. Design: Cross sectional survey with merged records of extent of restrictions on smoking in public places. Setting: United States. Participants: 17 287 high school students. Main outcome measures: Five point scale of smoking uptake; 30 day smoking prevalence. Results: More restrictive arrangements on smoking at home were associated with a greater likelihood of being in an earlier stage of smoking uptake (P<0.05) and a lower 30 day prevalence (odds ratio 0.79 (95% confidence interval 0.67 to 0.91), P<0.001). These findings applied even when parents were smokers. More pervasive restrictions on smoking in public places were associated with a higher probability of being in a earlier stage of smoking uptake (P<0.05) and lower 30 day prevalence (0.91 (0.83 to 0.99), P=0.03). School smoking bans were related to a greater likelihood of being in an earlier stage of smoking uptake (0.89 (0.85 to 0.99), P<0.05) and lower prevalence (0.86 (0.77 to 0.94), P<0.001) only when the ban was strongly enforced, as measured by instances when teenagers perceived that most or all students obeyed the rule. Conclusions: These findings suggest that restrictions on smoking at home, more extensive bans on smoking in public places, and enforced bans on smoking at school may reduce teenage smoking.

The Effect of Antismoking Advertisement Executional Characteristics on Youth Comprehension, Appraisal, Recall, and Engagement

ABSTRACT This article examines how two executional characteristics of antismoking advertising may interact with other relevant advertising features to affect youth comprehension, appraisal, recall of, and engagement with antismoking ads. Fifty antismoking ads made by tobacco control agencies, tobacco companies, and pharmaceutical companies were appraised by 268 youth using an audience response methodology with a follow-up component. Analyses show that thematic and executional characteristics varied both across and within ad sponsor, and that executional characteristics of “personal testimonial” and “visceral negative” clearly had the strongest and most consistent effect on appraisal, recall, and level of engagement. Antismoking advertisements are not alike in their ability to engage youth. Advocates attempting to develop increasingly successful antismoking campaigns should consider the executional characteristics of proposed ads.

Appraisal of anti-smoking advertising by youth at risk for regular smoking: a comparative study in the United States, Australia, and Britain

Objective: To compare the similarity in how youth in the United States, Australia, and Britain appraise anti-smoking advertisements with different characteristics. Design: Each participant viewed and evaluated a set of 10 anti-smoking adverts (from an overall total of 50 adverts) in a controlled experimental context using an audience response methodology. A structured telephone interview was completed one week after viewing the adverts, in which recall and engagement with the adverts by participants was evaluated. Subjects: 615 youths who were experimenting with smoking or were susceptible nonsmokers. Main outcome measures: Measures of advert appraisal and engagement. Results: Youth in the United States, Australia, and Britain responded in very similar ways to the same anti-smoking advertisements. In full multivariate models, the target audience of the advert and the advert theme were not related to the main outcome measures employed in this study. However, adverts with visceral negative or personal testimonial executional characteristics were appraised more positively by youths and were more likely to be recalled, thought about, and discussed at follow up one week later. Conclusions: Youths in three different countries responded to anti-smoking advertisements in very similar ways, suggesting that such adverts might be more actively shared among nations. The appraisal of, and engagement with, the anti-smoking adverts, however, varied substantially depending on executional characteristics. In the design of effective anti-smoking adverts, due attention needs to be paid to those characteristics that appear to most engage youth across different social and cultural environments.

After the Master Settlement Agreement: Trends in the American Tobacco Retail Environment from 1999 to 2002

Research indicates that one impact of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) may be to increase the focus of the tobacco industry’s marketing approach on the retail tobacco environment. This article aims to provide an overview of and trends in the post-MSA American tobacco retail environment from 1999 to 2002, nationally, by region, and by locale. We examined the following specific retail tobacco environment issues: price, promotions, advertising, and placement, which stimulate or reduce demand for tobacco products. Data for this article were obtained as part of the Impac Teen Project—A Policy Research Partnership to Reduce Youth Substance Use. Results show overall high levels of advertising, promotional activity, and price increase trends across the United States. Tobacco promotions in stores increased between 2001 and 2002. Stores in the south and rural areas tended to have the lowest prices and highest prevalence of promotions and advertising, suggesting a need for tobacco control intervention.

Which Substance and What Community? Differences in Juvenile Disposition Severity

There is a need in the literature for research describing disposition severity differences between specific drug and alcohol law violations within the context of community characteristics. We conducted an exploratory study of prosecutor-reported juvenile disposition severity by both specific drug charge and community context using a national sample of prosecutors from communities surrounding schools participating in the nationally representative Monitoring the Future survey. Results indicated (a) strong within- and between-substance disposition severity variance as well as (b) evidence for differential effects of both prosecutor case load and community characteristics, including community income, ethnicity, and region.