It's Not Just: Evaluation of a Media Campaign to Motivate Action Around Targeting of Menthol Tobacco in Black Communities.

Introduction: For more than 60 years, tobacco companies have aggressively marketed menthol tobacco products in Black communities. In 2021, New York State Department of Health-funded grantees launched a media campaign aimed toward civically engaged New York adults to educate and mobilize community action to prevent targeted marketing of menthol tobacco. This study examined audience reactions to the campaign and associations between campaign awareness and key outcomes. Methods: Following campaign implementation, we administered 2 online, cross-sectional surveys to 2,000 civically engaged New York adults to assess campaign awareness, audience reactions, and campaign-related attitudes and behaviors. We examined sociodemographic differences in audience reactions and assessed multivariate associations between campaign awareness and key outcomes. Results: Overall, 40% of respondents were aware of the campaign. Perceived advertisement (ad) effectiveness was higher among Black, Hispanic, and nonsmoking respondents and those aware of the campaign. Negative reactions to ads were higher at wave 1, among non-Hispanic White and male respondents, and among current smokers. Campaign awareness was positively associated with campaign-related beliefs. The association between campaign awareness and support for a menthol ban varied by survey wave and race, with positive associations at wave 2 and among non-Hispanic White respondents only. Among wave 2 respondents only, campaign awareness was positively associated with actions to reduce the targeting of menthol in Black communities. Conclusion: Media campaigns can play an important role in raising awareness of menthol tobacco product targeting in Black communities and building public support for local and statewide menthol restrictions that may be implemented before federal product standards are in place.

Changes in Reported Secondhand Smoke Incursions and Smoking Behavior after Implementation of a Federal Smoke-Free Rule in New York State Federally Subsidized Public Housing.

This study assessed changes in smoking behavior and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure after implementation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule prohibiting the use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and waterpipes in all federally subsidized public housing, including within residential units (apartments). Using quantitative data from a repeated cross-sectional mail survey of New York State residents of five public housing authorities (N = 761 at Wave 1, N = 649 at Wave 2), we found evidence of policy compliance (99% decrease in odds of self-reported smoking in units, OR = 0.01, p < 0.01, CI: 0.00−0.16), reduced SHS incursions (77% decrease in odds of smelling smoke within developments, OR = 0.23, p < 0.01, CI: 0.13−0.44), and lower reported smoking rates in July 2018 (9.5%, down from 16.8%), 10 months after implementation of the rule. Despite evident success, one-fifth of residents reported smelling smoke inside their apartment at least a few times per week. This study provides insights into how the policy was implemented in selected New York public housing authorities, offers evidence of policy-intended effects, and highlights challenges to consistent and impactful policy implementation.

Trends in Cigarette Advertising, Price-Reducing Promotions, and Policy Compliance in New York State Licensed Tobacco Retailers, 2004 to 2015.

PURPOSE: To describe the presence of licensed tobacco retailers (LTRs), cigarette advertisements, price-reducing promotions, and compliance with tobacco control policies in New York State from 2004 to 2015 and to discuss implications and lessons learned from 11 years of experience conducting LTR surveys. DESIGN: Annual surveys of tobacco advertising from cross-sectional, stratified random samples of LTRs in New York State from 2004 to 2015 were conducted by professional data collectors. Data for 2013 were unavailable as the survey was not fielded in that year. SETTING: New York State. PARTICIPANTS: Licensed tobacco retailers, which are stores licensed to sell tobacco in the state of New York. Between 3.6% (n = 800) and 19.7% (n = 3945) of all LTRs were sampled annually. MEASURES: The presence and number of cigarette advertisements and the presence of price-reducing promotions, required age-of-sale signage, and self-service tobacco displays were documented. ANALYSIS: We tested for significant differences between 2014 and 2015 and significant trends overall and by outlet type. We used logistic regression for binary outcomes and Poisson regression for count variables. RESULTS: The number of LTRs in New York State decreased 22.9% from 2004 (n = 25 740) to 2015 (n = 19 855). The prevalence and number of cigarette advertisements and the prevalence of cigarette price-reducing promotions decreased significantly over time. Compliance with posting required age-of-sale signs increased significantly from 2004 to 2015 and from 2014 to 2015. Compliance with the ban on self-service tobacco displays was consistently near 100%. CONCLUSION: The tobacco retail environment in New York State improved substantially from 2004 to 2015. The implications of these findings for youth and adult smoking and the associated social costs are unknown; however, decreases in pro-tobacco marketing, decreases in the number of LTRs, and improvements in compliance are likely to have positive impacts on youth and adult smoking outcomes, such as reduced initiation and increased cessation, given previous research findings.