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Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this presentation attendees will be able to:
- Describe different gaps in the coverage and effectiveness of tobacco control efforts (e.g. geography, demographics, and coverage of tobacco control policy).
- Identify cost-effective strategies that media/communications campaigns can use to bridge specific gaps.
- Incorporate a process for monitoring gaps to strategically address with media and communications efforts.
Tobacco control professionals and advocates working on media and communications campaigns.
Key Points:
Despite progress on many fronts, persistent gaps remain – and new gaps are emerging – in the reach and effectiveness of tobacco control efforts; these gaps lead to disparities in tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. These gaps can be identified using a variety of lenses, for instance:
- Geographically: e.g., communities outside major media markets, regional disparities in tobacco-related disease rates, targeted tobacco industry marketing.
- Demographically: e.g., mentally ill users, low SES populations.
- Policy coverage: e.g., lower taxation rates (e.g., RYO, cigar/cigarillos), exemptions in smoke-free policies by venue or product (e.g. hookah), flavors not banned for all products.
Media and communications efforts should take account of these gaps, and develop strategies to ameliorate them.
Educational Experience:
An overview of current research on existing and emerging disparities in tobacco use, exposure and protections, followed by presentations of media and communications efforts which are effectively closing gaps:
- California: Strategic development of media campaigns to reach multiple populations.
- Legacy Foundation: Media campaigns tailored to reach communities suffering high rates of tobacco use/exposure (e.g. rural communities, mentally ill users, LGBT, low SES).
- Maryland: The Cigar Trap, a new campaign addressing rising levels of cigar and cigarillo use by Maryland youth.
Benefits:
Attendees will learn about populations suffering higher levels of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. Case studies will provide examples of strategic media/communications work that support tobacco control efforts to reduce disparities.