Adult and youth response to the Massachusetts anti-tobacco television campaign

Abstract

This article is a response to DeJong and Hoffman's critique of the Massachusetts anti-tobacco television advertisements. It presents data on the recall and perceived effectiveness of the advertisements by a representative sample of adults and youth, and summarizes a previously published analysis of the impact of exposure to the advertisements on progression to regular smoking among youth. These data indicate that the campaign has achieved high levels of penetration into the population, that the advertisements are seen by the public to be effective, and that high levels of reported exposure are associated with reductions in teen smoking.