Extending The Australian Arm Of The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$881,295.00
Summary
This project is to provide for the Australian arm of a large multi-national study to determine how tobacco control policies work. It is being conducted in the context of the implementation in 2005 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Australia is a party. We will provide new knowledge on the impacts of specific policies which are being implemented in Australia, as well as ones that occur in other countries that are part of the larger study. These i ....This project is to provide for the Australian arm of a large multi-national study to determine how tobacco control policies work. It is being conducted in the context of the implementation in 2005 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Australia is a party. We will provide new knowledge on the impacts of specific policies which are being implemented in Australia, as well as ones that occur in other countries that are part of the larger study. These include the adoption of graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging, removal of misleading constituents levels information from packs, bans of misleading descriptors such as Light and Mild, and implementation of smoke-free bars. In addition it will advance our understanding of how policy effects persist over time, their equity, and the means by which they contribute to increased cessation and reduced relapse. We do this by following smokers every year in each of the countries and asking them about their thinking and actions with regard to smoking, as well as about their awareness of the policies. By comparing the responses of smokers exposed to policies with those from other countries that are not exposed, we can work out the contribution of the policies to changes in smoking. Understanding policy effects on smokers and smoking cessation will lead to improved policies in Australia and the likelihood of improved dissemination of policies that work here to other countries. Similarly policies found to work in other countries, can be best adapted to Australia if we understand how they work. Taken in total, it should advance our efforts to reduce the burden of smoking-related harm both in Australia and the rest of the world.Read moreRead less
Effects Of Anti-smoking Advertising, Tobacco-related Press Coverage And Tobacco Control Policies On Smoking Behaviour
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,696.00
Summary
Tobacco control programs invest significant resources into the production, development, and placement of anti-smoking advertisements. Evaluation of anti-smoking advertising campaigns is made difficult by the fact that they operate within the broader social context of changing tobacco control policies, tobacco marketing, and other forms of relevant paid and unpaid media. Public health advocates spend considerable effort attempting to obtain favourable news coverage about tobacco control issues, y ....Tobacco control programs invest significant resources into the production, development, and placement of anti-smoking advertisements. Evaluation of anti-smoking advertising campaigns is made difficult by the fact that they operate within the broader social context of changing tobacco control policies, tobacco marketing, and other forms of relevant paid and unpaid media. Public health advocates spend considerable effort attempting to obtain favourable news coverage about tobacco control issues, yet virtually no research has systematically related the volume and nature of news coverage on tobacco issues to smoking behaviour change. This study will exploit the existing variation in tobacco control acitvity between states and over time to study effects of these two forms of media and tobacco control policies on youth and adult smoking behaviour. The study will merge reliable measures of exposure to televised anti-smoking advertising, press coverage about tobacco issues and detailed quantified measures of other tobacco control policies, with monthly surveys of smoking prevalence and consumption from 1991 to 2005. This unique monthly survey database has tracked smoking behaviour changes over time and between states using a standard method over the course of a 15-year period. Analysis of the data will determine the most optimum levels of anti-smoking advertised required to reduce smoking, the potential influence of news reporting as a way of educating people to reduce smoking and effects of tobacco policies, such as advertising bans, smoke-free policies and youth access policies on smoking behaviour. By assessing the effectiveness of anti-smoking advertising and other tobacco policies in changing smoking behaviour, this study will guide public health policy and funding decisions related to tobacco control.Read moreRead less