SynthesisBMJ open2015
Are mass-media campaigns effective in preventing drug use? A Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Evidence for state, community and systems-level prevention strategies to address the opioid crisis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2019Pooled it
- Mass media interventions for preventing smoking in young people.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Decoding Anti-Substance Use Public Service Announcements: Content Analysis Grounded in the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Extended Parallel Process Model.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Skill vs. Disposition: Examining Paths of Intervention Effects in an Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention Trial Targeting U.S. Adolescents.Journal of prevention (2022) · 2026Article
- System dynamics modeling to inform implementation of evidence-based prevention of opioid overdose and fatality: A state-level model from the New York HEALing Communities Study.The International journal on drug policy · 2025Article
- PROTOCOL: Government-Led Communication Campaigns for Reducing Violent Extremism - A Systematic Review.Campbell systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Derived psychoactive cannabis product perceptions and use among a sample of US young adults.Addictive behaviors · 2025Article
- Exploring Youths' Cannabis Health Literacy Post Legalization: A Qualitative Study.Journal of adolescent research · 2025Article
- Practitioners' perspectives on unintended effects of illicit drug use prevention public service announcements in Australia.Health promotion international · 2024Article
- A Review of Meta-Analyses of Prevention Strategies for Problematic Cannabis Use.Current addiction reports · 2024Article
- Is Trust in Information Sources Associated with Drug Use? A Population-Based Study.Zdravstveno varstvo · 2023Article
- An investigation of knowledge and attitudes towards antidepressants: a cross-sectional survey of Jordan's six medical schools.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- Systems of Care Implications in Hawai'i: Sexual and Gender Minorities.Hawai'i journal of health & social welfare · 2022Article
- Development and evaluation of a social marketing campaign to address methamphetamine use in Los Angeles County.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Exploring Definitions of "Addiction" in Adolescents and Young Adults and Correlation with Substance Use Behaviors.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Attitudes to Cannabis Use and Public Prevention Information Among Young Adults: A Qualitative Interview Study With Implications for Prevention Practice.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Cognitive and affective responses to marijuana prevention and educational messaging.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Article
- A Latent Class Analysis of Prevention Approaches Used to Reduce Community-Level Prescription Drug Misuse in Adolescents and Young Adults.The journal of primary prevention · 2021Article
- COVID-19 Misinformation Prophylaxis: Protocol for a Randomized Trial of a Brief Informational Intervention.JMIR research protocols · 2020Article
- Health communication campaigns to drive demand for evidence-based practices and reduce stigma in the HEALing communities study.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether there is evidence that mass-media campaigns can be effective in reducing illicit drug consumption and the intent to consume.
designSystematic review of randomised and non-randomised studies.
methodsWe searched four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I and CENTRAL) and further explored seven additional resources to obtain both published and unpublished materials. We appraised the quality of included studies using standardised tools. We carried out meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and a pooled analysis of interrupted time-series and controlled before-and-after studies.
resultsWe identified 19 studies comprising 184,811 participants. Pooled analyses and narrative synthesis provided mixed evidence of effectiveness. Eight interventions evaluated with randomised controlled trials leaned towards no evidence of an effect, both on drug use (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.02; 95% CI -0.15 to 0.12) and the intention to use drugs (SMD -0.07; 95% CI -0.19 to 0.04). Four campaigns provided some evidence of beneficial effects in preventing drug use and two interventions provided evidence of iatrogenic effects.
conclusionsStudies were considerably heterogeneous in type of mass-media intervention, outcome measures, underlying theory, comparison groups and design. Such factors can contribute to explaining the observed variability in results. Owing to the risk of adverse effects, caution is needed in disseminating mass-media campaigns tackling drug use. Large studies conducted with appropriate methodology are warranted to consolidate the evidence base.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.