Can a Mass-Media Campaign Modify Tobacco Smoking in a Large Organization? Evaluation of the Great American Smokeout in an Urban Hospital

The effect of the Great American Smokeout (a mass media campaign sponsored by the American Cancer Society) on smoking in a large urban hospital was evaluated by unobtrusive observations of people in a hospital cafeteria and the collection of expired alveolar carbon monoxide (CO) levels from volunteers at a hospital information booth. The results showed that the number of people observed sitting in the smoking section of the cafeteria, the number of people observed smoking, and mean expired CO levels taken from volunteers were reduced only on the day of the Smokeout, as compared to data collected during a baseline period during the month prior to the Smokeout. The day after the Smokeout, the data returned to their previous levels. The results provide empirical support that a mass-media campaign such as the Smokeout may reduce smoking temporarily, but additional strategies for maintenance of smoking reduction and cessation are required.