Investigating the scope of tobacco industry direct mail and its impact on smoking

描述（由申请人提供）：烟草行业直销邮件的范围和影响是一种经常使用的行业营销策略，迄今为止，烟草控制方面的关注和研究有限。这一领域的研究受到以下因素的阻碍：直接邮件作为一种非公开的营销来源，能见度有限；难以直接观察其对收信人吸烟行为的影响；缺乏确定其规模和重要性的现有数据。作为一种直接面向消费者的营销技术，直接邮寄直接送到烟草业庞大的邮寄名单上的那些人的家里，因此在很大程度上是在公众的视线之外，在烟草控制、公共卫生和监管机构的监督下运作的。直接邮寄及其附带的激励（如优惠券、礼品）对吸烟行为的影响也不容易观察到。迄今为止，没有国家级的数据，旨在确定其在烟草使用行为中的作用的研究几乎不存在。该提案回应了美国国立卫生研究院项目公告PA-09-130，并描述了一项计划，以解决关于直接邮件营销的流行及其对烟草行为的影响的知识库中的差距。因此，我们将：1)开展焦点小组，了解吸烟者对烟草行业直邮的看法，为调查发展提供信息；2)开发和完善一项调查工具，该工具将进行认知测试，以评估参与直邮及其对吸烟行为的潜在影响；3)开展一项具有全国代表性的基于人口的成年吸烟者网络调查，以确定接收直邮的流行程度，并了解其对吸烟行为的影响。4)根据所收集的定性和定量数据分析，确定可能进行干预的领域和/或具体的应对策略，以解决直接邮寄对烟草使用行为的影响。因此，这项拟议研究的意义在于它有可能更好地了解直接邮件，以及收件人如何看待它，这对于通知和指导反营销战略至关重要。这方面的知识将有助于为进一步的研究和抵制烟草业直接邮寄影响的举措提供证据基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The scope and impact of tobacco industry direct mail, a frequently utilized industry marketing strategy, has thus far received limited attention and research from tobacco control. Research in this area has been hampered by the very nature of direct mail as a non-public source of marketing with limited visibility, the difficulty of directly observing its influence on receivers' smoking behaviors, and by the lack of existing data establishing its magnitude and importance. As a direct-to-consumer marketing technique, direct mail goes straight to the homes of those on the industry's extensive mailing lists and so operates largely out of the sight of the general public and under the radar of tobacco control, public health, and regulatory agencies. Nor is the influence of direct mail and the incentives it carries (e.g., coupons, gifts) on smoking behavior easily observed. To date, no national-level data are available and research aimed at establishing its role in tobacco use behavior has been almost nonexistent. This proposal responds to NIH Program Announcement, PA-09-130 and describes a plan to address gaps in the knowledge base regarding prevalence of direct mail marketing and its influence on tobacco behaviors. Accordingly, we will: 1) conduct focus groups to understand smokers' perceptions of tobacco industry direct mail to inform survey development, 2) develop and refine a survey instrument, which will undergo conduct cognitive testing, to assess participation in direct mail and its potential impact on smoking behavior, 3) conduct a nationally representative population-based web survey of adult cigarette smokers to determine the prevalence of direct mail receipt and understand its impact on smoking behavior, and 4) identify areas of possible intervention and/or specific counter strategies to address the influence of direct mail on tobacco use behavior based on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected. Thus, the significance of this proposed research is its potential to generate a better understanding of direct mail and how it is perceived by its recipients which is vital to informing and directing counter marketing strategies. This knowledge will contribute to the evidence base for further research and initiatives to counter the influence of tobacco industry direct mail.