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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
10:38
Human Fear Conditioning Conducted in Full Immersion 3-Dimensional Virtual Reality
Published on: August 9, 2010
Who's afraid of the truth?
1Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 600 W 168th St, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10032, USA. chealton@americanlegacy.org
American Journal of Public Health
|April 9, 2001
Summary
The Master Settlement Agreement funded the American Legacy Foundation's "truth" Campaign to reduce youth smoking. This countermarketing initiative has been positively received and is expected to decrease smoking rates among young people.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Tobacco Control
- Health Communication
Background:
- The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between tobacco manufacturers and state attorneys general imposed marketing restrictions on tobacco products.
- The MSA facilitated the expansion of state-level tobacco control programs.
- A new foundation was established to combat tobacco use in the United States.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the American Legacy Foundation (ALF).
- To highlight the ALF's "truth" Campaign, a countermarketing strategy targeting youth smoking.
- To assess the campaign's reception and expected effectiveness in reducing youth smoking.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive commentary on the American Legacy Foundation and its "truth" Campaign.
- Analysis of the campaign's public reception and anticipated impact on youth smoking behaviors.
Main Results:
- The "truth" Campaign has been well-received by the public.
- The campaign is anticipated to be effective in reducing smoking among youths.
- The tobacco industry has expressed negative reactions to the campaign.
Conclusions:
- The American Legacy Foundation's "truth" Campaign is a significant countermarketing effort.
- The campaign shows promise in curbing youth smoking initiation and prevalence.
- Industry opposition underscores the campaign's potential effectiveness.
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