This paper discusses the impacts and efficacy of the truth® anti-smoking campaign; it describes the research methodology, outcomes, and implications for future youth anti-smoking efforts.
States and national organizations spend millions annually on anti-smoking campaigns aimed at youth. Much of the evidence for their effectiveness is based on cross-sectional studies. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a prominent national youth smoking-prevention campaign in the U.S. known as truth® that was launched in February 2000. A nationally representative cohort of 8,904 adolescents aged 12–17 years who were interviewed annually from 1997 to 2004 was analyzed in 2008. The authors used a quasi-experimental design to relate changes in smoking initiation to variable levels of exposure to antismoking messages over time and across 210 media markets in the U.S. The authors used a discrete-time hazard model to quantify the influence of media market delivery of TV commercials on smoking initiation, controlling for confounding influences. Results indicate that exposure to the truth® campaign is associated with a decreased risk of smoking initiation. Based on the results of the hazard model, the authors were able to estimate that through 2004, approximately 450,000 adolescents nationwide were prevented from trying smoking. The current study strengthens the available evidence for anti-smoking campaigns as a viable strategy for preventing youth smoking. Publisher Abstract Provided