Evaluation of alternate messages on an electronic message strip to recruit subjects to a smoking-cessation program

The authors previously published details of a method to evaluate the effectiveness of electronic message strips in recruiting subjects to a smoking-cessation program. They now report data suggesting that a shorter, more negative message yields better results than a longer, more positive message. The data also show that this approach increases the number of subjects who enroll in a smoking-cessation program and the number of subjects who actually quit smoking.