Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs)

Estimated Exposure of Adolescents to State-Funded Anti-Tobacco Television Advertisements—37 States and the District of Columbia, 1999–2003

Between 1999 and 2003, monthly exposure to state anti-tobacco television advertisements among youth aged 12–17 increased from 0.04 advertisements in 1999 to 0.80 in 2002, but then declined to 0.63 in 2003.
Monthly exposure to anti-tobacco ads widely varied from state to state, ranging from zero in Louisiana, Maryland, and South Carolina, to more than 10 in Utah in 2003.
Between 1999 and 2003, exposure to state anti-tobacco television advertisements among Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts youth declined by 78% to 88%. Most of these reductions resulted from funding cutbacks in state tobacco prevention and control programs.
California and Indiana were the only two states to maintain a relatively stable level of anti-tobacco television ad exposure among youth over the 5–year period.

Comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs have been shown to decrease smoking initiation. Components of effective state programs include paid anti-tobacco television advertisements as part of countermarketing activities, community-based programs, and policy interventions.
There is strong evidence that anti-tobacco mass media campaigns that include paid television advertising reduce youth smoking.
Sustained exposure of adolescents to such advertisements over time is important for tobacco-use prevention.
Research has shown that tobacco industry-sponsored advertisements are not effective in preventing youth from smoking.
The short–term cost savings that states gain by reducing their support for televised anti-tobacco advertising campaigns may produce long-term increased costs from smoking-related health effects.