Online Advertising as a Public Health and Recruitment Tool: Comparison of Different Media Campaigns to Increase Demand for Smoking Cessation Interventions
2008

Using Online Ads to Help Smokers Quit

Sample size: 130214 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Amanda L Graham, Pat Milner, Jessie E Saul, Lillian Pfaff, Scott McIntosh, Cameron Selby, Peter Kennedy, Ryan Cullen

Primary Institution: The Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies

Hypothesis

Can online advertising effectively increase consumer demand for smoking cessation treatments?

Conclusion

Online advertising is a promising method to recruit smokers for cessation interventions, achieving a higher enrollment rate than traditional methods.

Supporting Evidence

  • 81.6% of individuals responded to online ads compared to 18.4% to traditional methods.
  • Online ads achieved a 9.1% registration rate for cessation treatment.
  • Online ads recruited more young adults and racial/ethnic minorities than traditional media.

Takeaway

This study shows that online ads can help more people find support to quit smoking compared to regular ads like billboards or TV commercials.

Methodology

An observational design compared the effectiveness of online advertising to traditional recruitment methods in enrolling smokers in cessation treatments.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to reliance on cookies for tracking and the possibility of duplicate registrations.

Limitations

The study's observational nature limits the ability to control for confounding factors, and some participants may have been unreachable after expressing interest.

Participant Demographics

Participants included a higher percentage of males, young adults, racial/ethnic minorities, and those with lower education levels compared to traditional media responders.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2196/jmir.1001

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication