Background: The prevalence of smoking is higher among sexual minority (SM) individuals compared with heterosexuals. The impact of televised anti-tobacco mass media campaigns on smoking outcomes among SMs is not known.
Aims: We examined whether televised anti-tobacco advertising was differentially associated with current smoking and smoking intensity for SM and heterosexual adults.
Method: We combined county-level anti-tobacco advertising data (gross rating points) with restricted, geocoded individual-level National Health Interview Survey data on smoking (2013-2015). We estimated associations between advertising and smoking outcomes, including potential effect modification by SM status.
Results: Greater anti-tobacco advertising exposure was associated with lower smoking prevalence (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.97; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.94, 1.00]). Although the direction of the association differed for heterosexual and SM adults, differences were not statistically significant. No significant associations were observed with regard to smoking intensity.
Conclusion: Associations between anti-tobacco advertising and smoking were not significantly different for heterosexual and SM adults.
Keywords: health disparities; media campaigns; sexual minority; smoking; tobacco.