Research Findings and Strategies Used to Develop the First National LGBT Tobacco Public Education Campaign

Background: Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) individuals are disproportionately impacted. LGBT young adults are nearly twice as likely to use tobacco as their non-LGBT peers.

Program background: In 2016, the FDA launched the first national public education campaign on tobacco among LGBT young adults to address this disparity. Using a positive tone and leveraging insights from the community, this campaign encourages LGBT young adults to live tobacco-free.

Evaluation Methods and Results: In April 2015, the FDA conducted 34 focus groups among 140 18-24 LGBT, non-daily smoker participants recruited at or near LGBT social venues in 7 U.S. cities in order to inform campaign creative development. In October-November 2015, more than a thousand LGBT non-daily young adult smokers participated in a second phase of formative research to test developed creative content, of which social media-based recruitment was a part. Study samples were diverse by age, gender, gender and sexual identity, and race/ ethnicity.  Across two phases of research and different recruitment channels, similar themes resonated with LGBT respondents. They preferred a positive message and settings that reflect real experiences for the young adult LGBT community. Respondents also emphasized the importance of portrayals of the diversity of the LGBT population in terms of sexual identity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race/ethnicity, and body type. 

Conclusions: These heterogeneous study samples held certain fundamental values in common, which were consistent across studies, across subgroups, and between in-person and online samples. The campaign consists of diverse, compelling content and a strategy to reach out to the full spectrum of the LGBT young adult population. 

Implications for research and/or practice: Campaigns that address key values that unite LGBT young adults can resonate with this diverse community. LGBT campaigns should be sensitive to diversity both in content and outreach. This research resulted in key insights related to message preference that informed the development of innovative creative advertisements designed to educate LGBT young adults on tobacco.