Tobacco Company Anti Smoking Ads Don’t Work for Teens

Recently, an article in the American Journal of Public Health reported the results of a study of more than 10,000 teenagers and their exposure to advertising about smoking.

The study found that television ads sponsored by tobacco companies which are supposed to discourage teenagers from smoking actually don’t do this, and, instead, may actually be sending the opposite message- that smoking is cool and something they should do.

In this study, researchers examined the reach of tobacco-company sponsored ads and whether they were seen by 12-17 year olds in about 80% of U.S. households from 1999-2002.

Combining this with a survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in 48 states yielded no correlation between viewing of anti-smoking ads and intended or actual smoking behavior.

Stated another way, watching these anti-smoking ads didn’t change the teen’s behavior or beliefs about tobacco at all.

Smoking, of course, is both a health risk and a skin hazard. Free radicals and pollutants in cigarette smoke can lead to skin damage and aging.