Youth Prevention

Research

Study: Camel No. 9 cigarette ads appeal to teen girls
Research published in the journal Pediatrics shows that print advertisements for Camel No. 9 cigarettes were very popular among 12 to 16 year old girls, despite restrictions on advertising to youth that were established by the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. A cohort of 1,036 youth were followed over the course of five years, completing five telephone surveys that included questions about the participants’ favorite cigarette advertisement. Those who reported having a favorite cigarette ad at baseline were 50% more likely to have smoked by the final interview. After the start of the Camel No. 9 advertising campaign, the number of girls reporting a favorite ad increased by 10%, almost all of them reporting the Camel No. 9 ads as their favorites. Camel No. 9 ads were found in magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan; giveaways such as lip balm, purses, and cell phone jewelry were also used to promote the product. R.J. Reynolds, the manufacturer of the cigarettes, claims that the ads were aimed at the adult fan base of the magazines. Read an article about the study, or read the study abstract.

Smoke-free laws and smoking and drinking among college students
A new study has found that public smokefree policies in communities containing a university are not associated with heightened alcohol use, but do appear to reduce smoking rates among college students. Researchers surveyed undergraduates from two universities before and after municipal smoke-free laws went into effect in the community, collecting data on past 30-day cigarette and alcohol use. At both sites, the change in current alcohol use was not significant following the implementation of the law; at one of the universities, the odds of being a current smoker dropped by 32% after the law went into effect. These results show that comprehensive smokefree laws in communities surrounding colleges may reduce smoking rates among college students in the area. Click here to read the study abstract, published in the Journal of Community Health.

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International

Cigarette advertising and adolescent smoking (Germany)
Research indicates that adolescents’ exposure to cigarette advertisements is linked with current smoking and intention to try smoking, but advertisements for other types of products have no significant associations with smoking. A survey of 3,415 German students aged 10-17 assessed recognition and cued recall of brand names for masked advertisements of six cigarette brands and eight non-tobacco products. Those who had tried smoking were nearly twice as likely to have had high exposure to cigarette advertisements, and those who were current smokers were 2.9 times more likely to have had high exposure to cigarette advertisements. Click here to read the full article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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