Reported Exposure to Pro-Tobacco Messages in the Media: Trends among Youth in the United States, 2000–2004

Abstract

Purpose. Document changes from 2000 to 2004 in youth reports of exposure to pro-tobacco messages in the mass media, including images of smoking and tobacco advertising. Design. Comparison of cross-sectional data from three waves of the school-based National Youth Tobacco Surveys conducted in 2000 (N = 33,772), 2002 (N = 23,439), and 2004 (N = 23,540). Setting. Public and private middle schools and high schools across the United States. Subjects. Students in grades 6 through 12. Measures. Smoking status; exposure to images of smoking on television and in movies; exposure to advertisements for tobacco products in stores, on the Internet, and in newspapers and magazines; demographic data. Results. Youth exposure to pro-tobacco messages declined within all media channels studied from 2000 to 2004, except the Internet. Despite these declines, most youth in the United States remain exposed to pro-tobacco messages: 81% saw images of smoking on television or in movies (down from 90%), 85% saw tobacco ads in stores (down from 88%), 50% saw tobacco ads in newspapers and magazines (down from 66%), and 33% saw tobacco ads on the Internet (up from 22%). Conclusion. Despite recent progress in this area, most youth in the United States are still at increased risk of smoking as a result of exposure to pro-tobacco messages in the mass media.