Studies of Tobacco in Print Media:Study 2: Smoke-free Policy and Media Coverage in Rural Communities

Rural areas have a higher percentage of people who smoke, fewer smoke-free laws, and local newspapers are less apt to cover tobacco issues compared to urban areas. This study’s purpose was to examine how community-based assistance affects media coverage of smoke-free issues. In a 5-year study, 40 rural communities were monitored for the number, type, and placement of tobacco-related newspaper articles before community assistance began and 9 months after. Newspaper articles collected via a statewide clipping service from April 2007 through March 2008 were analyzed (N=724). A second researcher analyzed 12% of the articles to ensure consistency. The number of front page tobacco-related articles did not differ between communities with assistance and those without before the assistance began. However, during the nine months of assistance, those communities with assistance had more front-page articles than those without assistance. There were no differences in the number of articles that discussed government/voluntary regulations on secondhand smoke during either time period, but both groups increased in frequency of these articles over the nine months when assistance was provided. The tobacco-related articles related to government/voluntary regulations in the print rural media increased over time in both groups. The slant (i.e., pro-health or pro-tobacco) of the articles did not differ by group, but tobacco control articles were more prominent (i.e., front page) in communities with assistance. Promoting smoke-free policy in rural communities may have a positive effect on media portrayal of the issue