Evidence suggests cutting back on state-sponsored smoking prevention campaigns could increase smoking rates

New evidence indicates that cutting back on state-sponsored smoking prevention campaigns could result in a sharp increase in smoking rates, particularly among adolescents, and should convince all states to protect these programs, according to the American Heart Association.

A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the April 15, 2004, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report shows that slashing the budget for the youth-oriented anti-smoking campaign in Minnesota resulted in a significant decrease in adolescents’ awareness of the campaign and a significant increase in teens’ susceptibility to become smokers.  This is the first major study to examine the effect of cutting an adolescent anti-tobacco campaign on adolescent susceptibility to smoking.

“This is a wakeup call to all states,” said Cass Wheeler, CEO of the American Heart Association. “Existing evidence shows that state-funded anti-smoking programs work.  This study shows that cutting back on these programs not only turns the clock back on our successful efforts to cut back on youth smoking, but does so quickly and dramatically.”

The Minnesota “Target Market” campaign, in place since 2000, saw its annual funding reduced from $23.7 million to $4.6 million in July 2003, effectively shutting down the program.  The Minnesota campaign, like other successful state programs, took a comprehensive approach to preventing smoking among youth.

At its peak, the Minnesota program was one of the top 10 in the country in terms of how closely the state matched CDC-recommended spending levels for funding anti-tobacco campaigns, according to the latest quarterly report put out by the American Heart Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society.  At its reduced level, Minnesota’s spending falls close to the bottom of the list.

“Solving the youth smoking crisis won’t come by slashing programs that work,” said Wheeler. “Too often, we’re faced with public health problems we don’t know how to solve.    We ought to be stamping out cigarettes, not programs that help kids stay away from tobacco.”

The study was based on surveys of adolescents in Minnesota before and six months after the funding cuts took place.  The findings are consistent with a previous study that documented an increase in illegal tobacco sales to minors following funding cuts to that state’s anti-tobacco campaign.