In Process - Anti-tobacco industry ads successful in preventing and promoting cessation..

May 9, 2009 - A news study by University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) researchers were the first to link attitudes about the tobacco industry to smoking attitudes and behavior among a national sample of young adults.

To determine attitudes, the researchers asked respondents how strongly they agreed or disagreed with three statements: Taking a stand against smoking is important to me; I want to be involved with efforts to get rid of cigarette smoking; and I would like to see cigarette companies go out of business. The UCSF study measured attitudes of 1,528 people in the 18-25 age range (the age group with the highest smoking rate among any in the United States) through questions covering attitudes toward the tobacco industry, support of action against the industry, social groups, receptivity to advertising, depression, alcohol use, and other factors associated with smoking.

It was found that those respondents who agreed with those statements and supported action against the tobacco industry were one-third as likely to be smokers as those who did not support action against the tobacco industry. Among current smokers, those who had a negative attitude towards the tobacco industry were over four times more likely to plan to quit smoking than smokers who did not support action against the tobacco industry.

PAPER: Young Adult Smoking Behavior: A National Survey, Pamela M. Ling, MD, MPH, Torsten B. Neilands, PhDc, Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, Americal Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 36, Issue 5, Pages 389-394.e2 (May 2009), ABSTRACT..

Reference: Attitudes Toward Tobacco Industry Linked To Smoking Behavior, Science Daily, 5/6/2009.