Television advertising for the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP) was launched in 1993. The campaign's first three years were examined against an analytical framework based in behavioral change and communications theory. The most common focus in the 49 advertisements was tobacco industry practices, followed by health consequences for smokers and smoking prevention. Only one smoking prevention advertisement was targeted to children younger that age 13. Only four advertisements mentioned policy actions to reduce youth access or curtail exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. Only two advertisements listed the telephone number for the MTCP's smoking cessation program. The television campaign was uncoordinated with the MTCP's community-level programs.

In reviewing the anti-drug media campaign organized by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), we expressed concern about both its strategic direction and execution (Journal of Health Communication, 1999, 4:2 155-160). The response from ONDCP's director, General Barry R. McCaffrey, still leaves us concerned about the campaign's chances for success. We review ONDCP's strong opposition to including alcohol in the campaign, its continued reliance on fear appeals, and its relative inattention to building support for environmental prevention strategies. We voice again our concerns about ONDCP's underutilization of an expert review committee of behavioral scientists.

The purpose of this review is to update research on the prevention of alcohol-related traffic deaths since the 1988 Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving. Four primary areas of research are reviewed here: (a) general deterrence policies, (b) alcohol control policies, (c) mass communications campaigns, including advertising restrictions, and (d) community traffic safety programs. Modern efforts to combat drunk driving in the United States began with specific deterrence strategies to punish convicted drunk drivers, and then evolved to include general deterrence strategies that were targeted to the population as a whole. Efforts next expanded to include the alcohol side of the problem, with measures installed to decrease underage drinking and excessive alcohol consumption. In the next several years, greater efforts are needed on all these fronts. Also needed, however, are programs that integrate drunk driving prevention with other traffic safety initiatives.

Objectives. This investigation examined whether, despite the Tobacco Institute's Voluntary Cigarette Advertising and Promotion Code, current cigarette print advertising communicates culturally positive messages to youth about smoking. Methods. Nine hundred thirteen students in grades 6–8 (ages 10–15) were shown a sample of four contemporary cigarette print ads (Camel, Marlboro, Newport, and Virginia Slims) and completed structured written assessments designed to capture their perceptions of each ad. Results. Across the four ads, between 37% and 84% of the students reported that the ads communicated to them that smoking will make people popular, cool, successful in life, sexy, attractive, and healthy. Sizeable percentages of students reported that the ads show people using the product in an “exaggerated” way, and that what people in the ads are doing requires “exercise and physical energy.” The median estimated age of the models in the ads was under age 25 for four out of the six models. Conclusions. As perceived by adolescents, current cigarette print advertising violates basic tenets of the Voluntary Code, thus bringing into question the tobacco industry's ability to self-regulate image advertising. These findings suggest that the FDA ruling to prohibit image advertising for tobacco in publications with significant youth readership deserves serious consideration.

We present a content analysis of 137 public service announcements (PSAs) focused on alcohol-impaired driving that aired nationally on U.S. television between 1987 and 1992. Our findings include the following: 1) Most PSAs were intended to reach an undifferentiated general audience, not necessarily those who are at greatest risk for driving after drinking. 2) Most PSAs were designed to create awareness of the problem of alcohol-impaired driving or to promote individual behavior change. 3) More PSAs were developed on the use of designated drivers than on any other subject. 4) About two-thirds of the PSAs included one or more celebrities who speak directly to the audience. Past media campaigns have tended to ignore the fact that people's behavior is profoundly shaped by their environment, which in turn is shaped by public policy. We recommend that future mass media campaigns against alcohol-impaired driving focus on building support for changes in institutional structures, public policy or law that will motivate, support, and sustain the efforts of individuals to alter their behavior. Television PSAs can play an important but somewhat limited role in support of this effort. Greater emphasis will need to be given instead to media advocacy strategies, including paid radio advertising. We further recommend that the principal organizations concerned about alcohol-impaired driving share their plans and develop a common communications strategy that will advance the public policy agenda proposed by the Surgeon General's Workshop on Drunk Driving.

From time to time a paper published in Health Affairs provokes debate that goes beyond Letters to the Editor in scope and length. We have created a section of the journal, entitled “Peer Review,” for this kind of extended debate. Following publication of our special issue Violence and the Publics Health in Winter 1993, a number of parties wished to respond to a Commentary on school-based conflict resolution programs. It is that topic to which this Peer Review is devoted. Following the diverse comments, the author of the original Commentary offers his rebuttal. These essays represent the opinions of the authors and have not been subjected to formal peer review.

ABSTRACT This report describes findings from over 150 interviews conducted in late 1990 with prosecutors, trial judges, probation officers, and other corrections officials from 20 states to investigate the readiness of state and local criminal justice systems to systematize and expand the use of judicially imposed intermediate sanctions. These interviews revealed widespread support for the expansion of these sanctions, which is still being driven by the continuing problem of prison crowding and the lure of possible cost savings from a reduced reliance on incarceration. Many criminal justice practitioners, including prosecutors, also stress the potential of intermediate sanctions for involving drug-addicted offenders in rehabilitative programs. While recent policy analyses have stressed that implementing a full program of intermediate sanctions would create a system of punishment that is based on notions of "just deserts" and proportional sentencing, only a handful of our interview respondents cited this rationale. Respondents identified numerous obstacles to systematizing and expanding the use of intermediate sanctions. Principal among these are perceptions of unyielding public resistance, opposition from probation officers, and substantial financial costs. Most criminal justice officials have given little thought to how intermediate sanctions can be moved beyond a patchwork of small-scale experiments and emergency measures to become an integral part of corrections. Few had ever considered the possbility of installing mandatory sentencing guidelines for such sanctions. Nearly all rejected this possibility based on their perceptions of or experience with mandatory prison sentencing; voluntary guidelines were preferred instead.

Section 1 of this report, entitled Audience Responses to Drinking and Driving TV Spots, reports the results of a laboratory message testing study in which a sample of teenagers and young adults (N=326) reacted to two types of TV spots that address alcohol problems: (1) nine paid ads sponsored by beer companies, which strategically blend consumption and prevention themes, and (2) nine conventional drinking and driving PSAs from organizations such as MADD. Responses are measured on a variety of dimensions, including perceived appearance, evaluative reaction, positive qualities, negative attributes, content perceptions, subjective impact, sponsor motives, attitude change, corporate images, slogan interpretation, underage policies, designated driver, exposure levels, and age differences. Supplemental focus group response testing was also conducted. Section 2 of this report, entitled Effects of Risky Auto Advertising Portrayals on Young Drivers, reports the results of a survey that explored the effects of TV car commercials featuring depictions of speed, power, excitement and risk-taking. In this survey a sample of young drivers aged 16-22 (N=333) answered items measuring car ad attention and perceptions, driving attitudes and driver images, and degree to which driving practices are influenced by advertising. The respondents also reacted to the content of five specimen performance-oriented car ads. Key findings are reported concerning exposure, perceptions, images, priorities, attitudes, subjective impact, estimated impact, belt buckling, age differences, and sex differences.