In 2011, the Mobile County Health Department began a 12-month antismoking educational media campaign to educate citizens on the dangers of secondhand smoke. The campaign overlapped with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's three-month national antismoking Tips from Former Smokers media campaign. Researchers aimed to evaluate the effect of these campaigns on support for smoke-free environments and knowledge of the dangers of secondhand smoke.

On the post-campaign survey, 80.9 percent of respondents reported seeing a television advertisement, 29.9 percent reported hearing a radio advertisement, and 49.0 percent reported seeing a billboard. Overall, support for smoke-free bars increased significantly after the intervention (38.1 percent to 43.8 percent) but not for workplaces or restaurants. Self-reported exposure to the media campaign was associated with higher levels of support for smoke-free workplaces, restaurants, and bars.

Study: Antismoking Mass Media Campaigns and Support for Smoke-Free Environments, Mobile County, Alabama, 2011-2012, Gabriel H. Fosson, MPA, Institute for Social Science Research, University of Alabama, Preventing Chronic Disease, published 4 September 2014.