Participants and nonparticipants of a mass media self-help smoking cessation program

Differences in demographic and smoking-related characteristics were examined among an ethnically heterogeneous sample of participants and nonparticipants of a self-help media-enhanced smoking cessation program which had been aired in seven cities in California. Subjects had been prompted or not prompted to view the mass media smoking cessation broadcast as an experimental manipulation. Written self-help smoking cessation materials were provided as supplements in local Sunday newspapers. Predictors of viewing the smoking cessation broadcasts and reading the self-help manual were examined separately. Across conditions, more smokers read the manual than viewed the broadcast. Nonredundant predictors of viewing the smoking cessation broadcasts included being prompted to view the broadcast, and self-reports of a tendency to read or listen to self-help material. Nonredundant predictors of reading the self-help smoking cessation manual included city of residence, older age, being a heavier smoker, planning to quit in the next 3 months, and receiving a newspaper at home (in which the self-help material appeared). Apparently, a televised cessation program can reach smokers who vary widely in characteristics. Prompting viewing increases participation, but only to a limited extent. Distribution of a written cessation manual in Sunday newspapers tends to be utilized by a relatively larger population, but especially by those persons who are motivated to quit.