"We report on an experiment that used podcast audio-drama as a medium to generate impact from academic outputs in a creative, inclusive and collaborative way. Tobias and Syd was a serialized podcast audio-drama published in January 2023 based on ideas contained in the book Anthropology of Tobacco an
...
d personal narratives from the Wellcome Trust funded ‘Letter to the Breath’ project. The series aimed to generate conversations and discussions, rather than conclusions, about the role of tobacco in society today. It was a collaborative project involving contributions from diverse stakeholders. In addition to developing, producing and promoting the play, the educational value and dialogic space of the podcast was enhanced through four recorded webinar events based on key themes in the drama. Podcast audio-drama has the potential to open up new perspectives on contentious public health issues like tobacco use and abuse. We reflect on some of the processes involved and the challenges encountered in this case." (Abstract)
more
"To encourage smoking cessation, persuasive messages can be used to raise smokers' risk perception. This article discusses challenges and solutions in designing a study to evaluate the effect of two different communication strategies ("gains from quitting" vs. "losses from continuing smoking") in en
...
couraging calls to a quitline. The authors conducted an intervention study in two subway stations for 4 weeks, considering only 1 strategy per station. Large posters containing non-age-specific images and texts, on the basis of the theme "shortness of breath," were displayed on central dividing columns on the boarding platforms. Call rates from the selected stations, and respective rate ratios, overall and per study week, were calculated. Passengers who were smokers, exposed to the positive-content message, called on average 1.7 times more often than did those exposed to the negative-content message (p = .01). Moreover, call rate ratios did not decline over the 4 weeks of the study (p = .40). The effectiveness findings suggest that antismoking campaigns could use positive-content messages in order to recruit a larger smoker population. The proposed methodology can also be used to evaluate effectiveness of messages for "capturing" individuals with other health problems (e.g., alcohol abuse), thereby increasing its potential impact." (Abstract)
more
"This article analyzes the strategies and the impact of two ‘media movements’ in Latin America — the experiences of civic coalitions working on media policy reform in Uruguay, and advocacy journalism about tobacco control in Argentina — through interviewing the principle actors involved in t
...
hese movements and reviewing the literature relevant to them. Media movements refer to a broad set of civic initiatives to transform media structures, practices, and content. The analysis aims to discuss the goals and tactics of civic actions to promote media democracy. The cases show a critical yet pragmatic sensitivity among progressive actors who use advocacy and legislative mechanisms to catalyze changes in media systems. The article has three implications for the study of global media democracy. First, to assess the impact of media movements, it is necessary to understand the press as a field that ‘refracts’ the influence of external forces. The successes and setbacks of media movements suggest the need to understand the conditions that make the media susceptible to civic efforts. Second, the findings bolster the case for conceptualizing the role of the state as an arena for competing interests struggling to influence media systems. Third, the state remains a crucial actor for media democracy in a globalized world. Key decisions affecting media structures and news content remain closely linked to the state." (Abstract)
more
"This manual is designed to be a comprehensive resource for state health departments and other agencies and organizations in developing and implementing tobacco counter-marketing campaigns. It is designed to help readers who have different levels of experience and are managing programs at different
...
stages of development [...] The first half of the manual focuses on planning and preparation, and the second half addresses specific counter-marketing techniques. The manual also includes a list of resource organizations, appendices relevant to topics found in individual chapters, and a glossary." (Introduction)
more
"The following questions will be examined: Which methods of communication (mass communication, Internet, personal communication) promise effective communication with smokers? Which messages (contents) promise effective communication with smokers? Which multipliers promise effective communication wit
...
h smokers? Which settings promise effective communication with smokers? What communication problems arise in motivating smokers to stop smoking? Is it necessary to differentiate between target sub-groups when addressing smokers? Finally, after discussing the results presented, conclusions are drawn in Chapter 5 with respect to the effectiveness of communication measures and the requirements to be taken into account, particularly as regards mass media communication. Chapter 6 gives a complete review of the literature used. In conclusion, the Annex describes in detail the most important studies considered in this report." (Introduction, page 13)
more
"Original essays define the scope of and show how to improve campaigns that promote public service programmes - among them, anti-smoking, family planning, heart disease prevention, and fire prevention campaigns. Academics, programme administrators, evaluators and policy makers show how to assess nee
...
ds and goals, plan a campaign, evaluate its success, and select appropriate media." (Publisher description)
more