We’ve all heard people trying to defend their smoking habits. “Everyone smokes, who cares? I only smoke on the weekend. Besides, I’ll quit after graduation.” In 2007, we partnered with the Ohio Tobacco Prevention Foundation to launch DEBUNKIFY, a grassroots campaign created to “debunk” these misperceptions about tobacco use among Ohio’s young adults. We used not only traditional media, but peer-to-peer communications that reached a potential audience of 5.7 million through 254 mobile tour events and 281 guerrilla stops that covered more than 70 Ohio cities. Research confirmed young adults aware of DEBUNKIFY were less likely to smoke and more likely to quit.
