Comparative study of young people's response to anti-smoking messages

Targeting young people in their early teens before they have established a smoking habit may be critical to reducing smoking rates. Mass-media campaigns can play an important role in reaching large numbers of young people directly with prevention messages. Given the current level of debate in this area regarding which message theme is most appropriate, this study was conducted to explore young people's views, attitudes and behaviours towards smoking, and examine young people's response to different types of message appeal. A qualitative research design was employed and a total of 12 focus groups and 18 friendship pairs were conducted in England with 11-14-year-olds, half of whom were smokers and half of whom were experimenting with smoking. The results indicate that no single anti-smoking message appeal is likely to have universal appeal and that young people's response to message appeals is mediated by the values they attach to smoking. Implications for future youth smoking prevention campaigns targeting young people in England are discussed.