The Effects of Tobacco Control Mass Media Campaigns on the Cessation Behaviours of Ontario Smokers

Tobacco control mass media campaigns are a key element of comprehensive tobacco control strategies. Over the past decade, 94% of Ontario smokers were exposed to tobacco control mass media, general tobacco media stories, or pharmaceutical ads. Exposure to tobacco control mass media was associated with increased likelihood of making a quit attempt: higher levels of exposure to campaigns further increased the rate of making an attempt to quit. Ontario can support smoking cessation behaviours with continued programming of effective mass media campaigns, along with local efforts to obtain tobacco-related earned and paid media stories.