|
|
-
Drug awareness
Iowans are noticing anti-drug public service ads according to a
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communiation study.
-
You've seen the ads. Perhaps the most famous is the "This is your
brain... This is your brain on drugs" with an egg frying in a skillet.
But just how effective are those ads. The Greenlee School of Journalism
and Communication was asked by the Partnership for a Drug-Free Iowa (PDFI)
to find out. And the results are encouraging for that agency.
A team of graduate and undergraduate students led by Lulu Rodiguez, associate
professor, conducted a statewide survey to measure the ads' impact on
the public's knowledge and attitudes about illegal drugs, as well as their
influence on behavior.
Of the 553 respondents, the Greenlee survey indicated that more than 90
percent could remember hearing or seeing a PDFI public service ad and
could remember its anti-drug message.
The ads' effectiveness was also evident in the survey. More than 66 percent
of the respondents said the ads made them more aware of the risks associated
with drug use. A majority of the respondents indicated that the ads made
them aware that Iowa families should be concerned about the drug problem
in the state. And 65 percent said they could remember one particular message
of the ads - the need to talk to children about the dangers of drug use.
Rodiguez says that nearly a quarter of those exposed to the ads learned
something new about drugs, while almost half said the ads reminded them
of things they had forgotten. More than half of the respondents also said
the ads made them feel a responsibility to avoid drugs.
"Our survey showed that the ads had a strong effect on Iowans particularly
on their knowledge of the ads' messages and on their attitudinal changes
toward drugs," she said.
The public service ads' ultimate goal is changing Iowans' behavioral attitudes
toward drugs. While nearly one-fourth of the respondents had taken action
to assist the statewide effort to curb drug use, it is unclear if the
ads had a strong effect on reducing drug use in Iowa.
"However you can imply that there is a very high possibility that
Iowans' behavior has been affected by these ads," Rodiguez said,
"particularly since they are aware of the message and their attitudes
towards drugs have changed."
The statewide survey was given to Iowans 18 years of age and older. To
measure the impact of the ads on teenagers, the research team conducted
focus groups with high school students from Roland-Story City, Gilbert
and Nevada high schools.
Those focus groups findings indicated that teens think that drug use is
one of Iowa's biggest problems. Other important findings from the focus
groups were:
* PDFI ads work to keep many people from trying drugs.
* Teens get most of their anti-drug messages from radio.
* Celebrities aren't appealing to teens in anti-drug ads. "The teenagers
don't think there are any parallels between their lives and the lives
of the Williams (tennis stars Serena and Venus) sisters and the Dixie
Chicks," Rodiguez said.
* Teens are exposed to marijuana more often than any other illegal drug.
* Teens perceive parents as lacking knowledge regarding drugs and believe
parents are ill equipped to discuss drugs with them. The Greenlee School
team's work isn't completed with this initial report. The original survey's
respondents will be re-surveyed in late February and early March to determine
if the PDFI public service ads have had a lasting impact.
"We're also continually conducting high school focus groups,"
Rodiguez said. "We're going to continue to send out both graduate
and undergraduate students to conduct this research. It's a great opportunity
for our students to work on a project like this."
Around LAS
January 15-21, 2002
|
|
