NJ Department of Health and Senior Services

Mission
The Mission of the Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is to decrease morbidity and mortality among New Jerseyans associated with the use of tobacco and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. We will accomplish our mission by working with new and existing partners.

Goals And Objectives
1.To decrease the acceptability of tobacco use among all populations.
a.Increase awareness of negative effects of smoking in community and personal settings.
b.Increase the number of local policies and ordinances restricting tobacco use and access in public places.
c.Increase the number of non-smoking workplaces in New Jersey including restaurants and bars.
d.Increase the number of schools with smoke-free campuses and smoke-free school sponsored events.
e.Increase the number of and effectiveness of youth and school- based programs that are designed to prevent tobacco use.
f.Reduce non-compliance of local vendors with State and Federal laws prohibiting sale of tobacco products to minors to 20% by FY2001.
g.Evaluate effectiveness of strategies to reach target and change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior and allow for revisions.

2.To decrease the initiation of tobacco use by youth under 18 years of age and youth 18-24 years of age.
a.Increase awareness and knowledge of the negative aspects of tobacco and tobacco industry manipulation through strategic marketing that targets youth through age 24.
b.Increase the number of publicly funded community activities aimed at decreasing tobacco use among youth through age 24.
c.Reduce non-compliance of local vendors with State and Federal laws prohibiting sale of tobacco products to minors to 20% by FY2001.
d.Increase overall number of merchants who do not carry tobacco or tobacco-related products.
e.Increase the number of youth and school-based programs that are designed to prevent tobacco use which enhance or complement the mandated tobacco core curriculum.
f.Evaluate effectiveness of strategies to reach target and change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior and allow for revisions.

3.To increase the number of youth and adult tobacco users who initiate treatment.
a.Increase the number of organizations offering nicotine treatment programs.
b.Increase awareness of the availability of nicotine treatment programs for: (1) general population of smokers; (2) high risk sub-population groups.
c.Increase the number of individuals accessing nicotine treatment programs.
d.Evaluate effectiveness of strategies to reach target and change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior and allow for revisions.

4.To decrease exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS).
a.Increase awareness of harmful effects of smoking in community and personal settings.
b.Increase awareness of harmful effects of ETS on non-smokers (including, but not limited to children, pregnant women, seniors, and asthmatics).
c.Increase number of local policies and ordinances restricting tobacco use and access in public places.
d.Enforce the local policies and ordinances restricting tobacco use and access in public places.
e.Increase the number of non-smoking workplaces in New Jersey including restaurants and bars.
f.Increase the number of schools and colleges with smoke-free campuses and smoke-free school sponsored events.
g.Evaluate effectiveness of strategies to reach target and change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior and allow for revisions.

5.To reduce disparities related to tobacco use and its effects among different population groups.
a.Increase knowledge of minority populations that they are the targets of tobacco marketing.
b.Ensure that community tobacco control programs include minority groups and target minority populations and groups at highest risk.
c.Ensure that youth/school-based tobacco control programs are appropriate for all populations including minorities and groups at highest risk.
d.Evaluate effectiveness of strategies to reach target and change knowledge, attitudes, and behavior and allow for revisions.

These goals and objectives specify the areas targeted for intervention at a policy level. The component strategies of a comprehensive tobacco control program will be designed to achieve these goals. The component strategies of a comprehensive tobacco control program will be designed to achieve these goals. Each of these goals and objectives is measurable and will be quantified when appropriate baseline data is identified and/or developed. In order to achieve these goals and objectives, we need to ensure that policymakers and community leaders are informed of and involved in the process.

Division of Addiction Services Prevention Services Unit Tobacco Control Program
Strategic Plan For A Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program:
Youth Tobacco Awareness / Marketing And Communications Campaign

In order to combat the effects of the tobacco industry's successful marketing campaigns targeting youth, a comprehensive awareness/marketing and communications campaign is required to reduce the likelihood of youth initiation or regular use of tobacco. The campaign focus will be on youth through the age of 24. The campaign will include youth through age 24 as a target group, because the number of smokers between ages 18 and 24 appears to be increasing. In addition, youth tend to emulate their older friends and siblings who smoke. While the campaign will target youth and young adults, its messages will also reach the adult community of parents, educators, and policy and opinion makers.

Studies have found that messages relating to ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) and industry manipulation are highly effective strategies to denormalize smoking and to reduce consumption. These messages work well for both youth and adults.

A marketing and communications campaign has the opportunity to support all five goals of a comprehensive tobacco program as well as the following objectives :

Goal 1: To decrease acceptability of tobacco use Increase awareness of negative effects of smoking in community and personal settings
Goal 2: To decrease youth initiation of tobacco Increase awareness and knowledge of the negative aspects of tobacco and tobacco industry manipulation through strategic marketing that targets youth through age 24
Goal 3: To increase the number of users who initiate treatment Increase awareness of the availability of nicotine treatment programs
Goal 4: To reduce exposure to ETS Increase awareness of the harmful effects of smoking in community and personal settings
Goal 5:To reduce disparities related to tobacco use and its effects among different population groups
Increase knowledge of minority populations that they are the targets of tobacco marketing

A marketing and communications campaign allows New Jersey to provide a broad message to its communities. The decision to start to smoke by adolescents is one of a series of life decisions which are made during the pre-teen and teenage years. At this stage of life youth may choose to use legal and illegal drugs, drop out of school, or use violence to resolve conflicts. The advisability of expanding the media campaign to include communication skills and life skills will be explored with both the New Jersey Tobacco Control Advisory Committee and the media contractor. Further, this campaign will use an anti-tobacco message as an opportunity to encourage communication and collaboration between youth and their parents and other adults on important life issues.

Current Programs in New Jersey:

DHSS has dedicated a one time, $1.5 million allocation of federal funds for a two year, anti-tobacco media and public relations campaign focusing on middle school youth. The multi-media "Don't Get Sucked In" campaign includes television and radio ads, in- theater placements, billboards, print ads, and a website. This campaign focuses on the short term effects of smoking and the implication that smoking is disgusting. The process evaluation of the campaign has shown that this message has reached over 2.7 million teens in New Jersey and surrounding states through the radio ads alone, and it has also reached many more adults and children. This campaign will end on December 31, 1999.

Other States and Best Practices

This section outlines other states' approaches to this program component and best practices:

The significant anti-tobacco advertising campaigns of California, Massachusetts, and Florida have been associated with the decline in consumption in these states. Research has shown that their focus on industry manipulation and ETS is effective at reducing consumption. At least one study has indicated that the message of negative health consequences of smoking may also be effective.

Studies in California, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Minnesota have shown that a counter-marketing campaign is most effective when it is combined with school and community activities which also address tobacco issues.

Marketing firm(s) working on statewide anti-tobacco campaigns will be required to have no business or association with tobacco companies or their subsidiaries.

The following CDC guidelines will be used to develop the key elements of a comprehensive marketing program. The campaign should:

a.Have sufficient reach, frequency, and duration;
b.Focus on youth and adults;
c.Address individual behavior and community-wide policies;
d.Partner with other types of organizations;
e.Highlight an individual theme without preaching;
f.Use several messages and styles*; and,
g.Combine prevention, treatment and ETS messages.*

Please note: there is not uniform agreement/consensus among the experts over the recommendations to combine messages and styles.

PROPOSED APPROACH

This section outlines the proposed approach to implementing the Youth Tobacco Awareness / Marketing and Communications component of the overall plan, including selecting the target populations, establishing basic principles, and creating opportunities for public/private partnerships.

Target Populations:
The media campaign will be expected to target pre- adolescent youth (ages 6-11), adolescent youth (ages 12- 17), and young adults (ages 18-24). Given the limited resources for a media campaign, the messages will first be directed at adolescent youth and then expanded over time to other populations.

Basic Principles
As the program begins to develop, it is important to incorporate key principles into the selection of a firm to develop and implement the campaign and the campaign itself:

1.Marketing firm will have no association with the tobacco industry over a number of years.
2.Marketing firm or sub-contractors will have previous success in reaching a culturally diverse population, in addition to youth through age 24.
3.A minimum level of billings to assure capacity will be required.
4.Firm will have a capacity to measure campaign's impact on change in knowledge and attitudes.
5.The campaign will be a youth focused media campaign with special attention given to minority youth.
6.The campaign will address issues of industry manipulation by the tobacco companies.
7.The campaign will have real involvement by youth, not token involvement.
8.Firms should have the ability to incorporate all goals in the campaign.
9.The campaign will use existing media material whenever appropriate.

Opportunities for Public/Private Partnerships

An effective marketing and communications campaign needs to be reinforced throughout the community. Some partnerships which may be appropriate include the following:

1.Media outlets -- i.e. newspaper special sections, children's publications, outdoor advertising;
2.Sports teams, both adult professional and youth teams;
3.Personalities including musicians, actors and well-known business people;
4.Schools;
5.Universities, community colleges, trade schools; and,
6.Businesses where youth congregate.

This document may only be reproduced in its entirety. No portion of this document may be reproduced without the permission of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services.