Anti-Smoking Media Campaigns and Disparities in Smoking Cessation in the United States, 2001-2015

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-8-2021

Abstract

Purpose:

To evaluate sociodemographic differences in the relationship between state and national anti-smoking media campaigns and cessation behaviors among adult smokers in the U.S.

Design:

Repeated cross-sectional analysis.

Setting:

U.S. nationally representative survey of adults ages 18 and older, 2001-2015.

Subjects:

76,278 year-ago smokers from the 2001-2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey.

Measures:

Area-level exposure to State-sponsored and “Tips from former smokers” anti-tobacco media campaigns was the primary predictor of this study. Outcome variables included: quit attempt in the past 12 months, past 30-day smoking cessation, and past 90-day smoking cessation among year-ago smokers.

Analysis:

We conducted modified Poisson regression models to examine the association between media campaign exposure and cessation behaviors. We also examined effect modification on the additive scale by sex, race/ethnicity, income, and education using average marginal effects.

Results:

Year-ago smokers with greater exposure to media campaigns were more likely to report 30-day (Prevalence Ratio [PR]: 1.18, CI: 1.03, 1.36) and 90-day cessation (PR: 1.18, CI: 1.00, 1.41) compared to respondents with less campaign exposure. We found no evidence of effect modification by sociodemographic variables.

Conclusion:

Exposure to anti-smoking media campaigns were associated with year-ago smokers’ cessation behaviors. However, there were no differences in the association by sex, race/ethnicity, income, or education, indicating that broadly focused media campaigns may be insufficient to reduce smoking cessation among priority populations, and thus health disparities generally.

Publication Title

American Journal of Health Promotion

Volume

35

Issue

5

First Page

658

Last Page

668

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117120985818

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