Public Health Education Campaigns
Rooted in science, FDA’s tobacco public education campaigns are critical to our public health mission. FDA focuses on audiences with a higher risk of using tobacco products and uses media campaigns with dynamic advertising to convince youth to not use tobacco. To maximize the impact on public health, FDA has comprehensive education efforts for youth prevention and adult cessation that complement the agency’s tobacco regulatory activities.
Today, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product and use among youth remains high. FDA is focusing its prevention efforts to reduce youth use of e-cigarettes through “The Real Cost” and “Next Legends” campaigns. FDA also disseminates educational resources for people who use tobacco products about the benefits of quitting.
Current Public Education Campaigns
The Real Cost
FDA’s award-winning public education campaign, “The Real Cost,” is recognizing its 10th anniversary and continues to prevent youth from tobacco initiation and use. In 2018, the campaign began prioritizing e-cigarette prevention messaging to combat increasing use of e-cigarettes among youth. “The Real Cost” campaign also educates youth on the health consequences of smoking cigarettes.
Next Legends
"Next Legends" is a youth e-cigarette prevention campaign that aims to educate American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, ages 12 to 17, about the harms of vaping. Research has shown AI/AN youth demonstrate high experimentation and current use of e-cigarettes.