Recall and Believability of the Tips From Former Smokers Campaign Among University Students

Background: Tobacco media campaigns are effective, but less is known regarding the impact on college students. Purpose: The purpose was to test the effects of an on-campus Tips television campaign on frequency and believability of ads recalled and to assess demographic and personal factors associated with believability. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre–post design was used to assess the 8-week campaign with 3 Tips ads. Two randomly selected cohorts of college students (N = 1593) from a large public university completed online surveys pre- and postcampaign. Group comparisons using chi-square tests, 2-sample t tests, and logistic regression, controlling for residence or cohort, and predictors of believability using proportional odds modeling were examined. Results: Ads were recalled by significantly more students (68%) postcampaign. Believability for one or more ads was lower for males, undergraduates, those belonging to fraternity/sorority, and current polytobacco users (P < .05). Believability was greater for those who recalled seeing the ads more often (P < .05). Discussion: Subgroups of college students, including males and undergraduates, reported less ad believability, which should be considered when designing communication strategies. Translation to Health Education Practice: Considering the potential impact and cost-effective nature of on-campus TV media campaigns, these ads need to be integrated into current campus tobacco control strategies.