Department of Health, Behavior and Society Researchers Awarded $9.6 Million in New Funding to Study Public Health Messaging and Continuum of Risk for Tobacco Products

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Health, Behavior and Society—in collaboration with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication—have received $9.6 million in funding via the National Institutes of Health Tobacco Regulatory Science Program, an interagency partnership between the FDA and NIH to foster tobacco regulatory research, for a new study to advance tobacco risk messaging. 

The four-year grant, “From Perceptions to Behaviors: A Comprehensive Approach to Examine the Impact of Public Health Communication Messaging about the Continuum of Risk for Tobacco Products,” will provide new evidence that enhances our understanding of how different audiences respond to tobacco risk messages. 

Meghan Moran, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Health, Behavior and Society, will serve as the co-principal investigator of the study, along with Andy Tan, PhD, an associate professor of communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. 

“The successful completion of this project will provide FDA with clear, rigorous, and comprehensive evidence regarding the effectiveness of the specific messages provided for this study, as well as theory-informed insights regarding broader message strategies to optimize future public health communication on the continuum of risk for tobacco products to youth and adults who use tobacco products,” said Moran. 

Traditionally, research on tobacco risk communication has focused on single-message studies targeted to adults. That reality has meant we have only a limited understanding of how messaging around the continuum of risk for tobacco products can shape responses and behaviors in more diverse audiences. However, this new project will address the current gap in evidence by exploring how different audiences, including both adults and young people, respond to different types of messaging around the risk of using tobacco products. In doing so, the study aims to identify effective communication strategies that underscore the risks of combustible tobacco products among adults who use tobacco, while simultaneously curbing their appeal among younger populations.  

The project will involve six interconnected studies using different, complementary methods. First, the research team will use online surveys to collect large-scale data on message preference, comprehension, and precursors to behavior such as knowledge and attitudes. Qualitative interviews with participants will offer added depth and context to the findings. Next, to assess how the messages affect activity in key areas in the brain associated with message acceptance or rejection, they’ll use neuroimaging technology. The team will also use eye-tracking, which will allow them to see where and for how long people look at a message, to identify key message features that draw audience attention. 

Finally, they’ll conduct two studies to assess message impacts on short- and long-term behavior change. To study short-term behavior change, researchers will conduct a topography study, which will allow them to measure how messages affect individual smoking behavior (e.g., how many puffs of a cigarette they take). To measure long-term behavior change, the team will conduct an ecological momentary assessment study. The approach will allow them to deliver messages directly to people's mobile phones and collect data on tobacco use behavior change over a 6-month period.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with individuals at UPenn to conduct rigorous research on this important topic,” said Moran. “As the marketplace of tobacco products continues to expand, and more becomes known about the relative risks of these products, it is critical to identify ways to message about this continuum or harm so that public health is best protected.”