Preventing lung cancer, the leading cause of U.S. cancer death
4CNC Investigators Kurt Ribisl, Cathy Melvin, and Catherine Rohweder are involved in several research studies focused on smoking cessation and tobacco control The team works with Smoke-Free Families National Dissemination Office to engage more than 60 national partners in adopting evidence-based approaches to prevent and treat tobacco use among pregnant and parenting smokers.
In North Carolina, the 4CNC works with tobacco control advocates including the NC Prevention Partners and the NC Alliance for Health’s Second-hand Smoke Committee to analyze the factors that lead to success in promoting clean air laws in the state and improved smoking cessation services. Thus far, the project has helped guide efforts to make UNC Hospitals and the entire UNC Campus smoke free. As a corollary to this, 4CNC researchers deliver training and technical assistance to programs on campus to help their clients and employees receive smoking cessation support.
The Quitline Marketing Project examined how to effectively market a smoking quit line to young adults. The study was conducted in four phases. Phase 1 examined how other products are successfully marketed to the target audience. The goal was to discover where young adults socialize, what marketing messages they receive in those environments, and the components of a successful marketing campaign. The final report (pdfs of Phases 1-2 and Phases 3-4) describes the phases of the project, including recommended campaign strategies. Future phases of the study will develop a marketing plan based on the Phase 1 research and test the campaign’s effectiveness.
Understanding the impact of tobacco sales on the Internet. Internet sales of tobacco are a threat to smoking cessation because they counteract the positive impact that cigarette taxes have had on cessation rates. Internet vendors sell cigarettes at much lower prices because they do not charge excise taxes. Furthermore, few Internet cigarette vendors check the age of their customers, making Internet sales an appealing option for underage smokers. This study is examining the impact of Internet tobacco sales, the current regulations on Internet tobacco sales and whether or not these regulations are being complied with and enforced.
A Tobacco Retail Price Manipulation Policy Strategy Summit was convened in May 2008 by the California Tobacco Control Program as a response to the tobacco industry's practices regarding price manipulation. The goals of the summit were to increase understanding of how the industry uses these practices to influence consumption and possible policy interventions. Thirty-five participants attended the summit including experts in law, economics, tobacco control, marketing, and business. This report details the happenings of the summit and provides guidance on how professionals can continue making strides in the tobacco control movement. It is already helping guide the California and New York tobacco programs. Kurt Ribisl is one of the report’s authors and helped spearhead the summit.