Although there is mounting evidence that strategically designed and targeted public service announcement (PSA) campaigns can reduce drug abuse by adolescents, a recent report by the Government Accountability Office concluded that the $1.4 billion National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has not been effective. A significant concern is that the findings from the lengthy, large-scale, field-based evaluations on which this conclusion are based were not available until after substantial funds had been invested in production and airing of the PSAs. There is an urgent need for an efficient and effective method of evaluating the likely influence of anti-drug PSAs before they are used in mass media campaigns. The long-term goal is the development of a reliable and valid brain imaging strategy for evaluating the influence and likely effectiveness of anti-drug PSAs. The objective of this application is to explore the use of state-of-the-science brain imaging and analysis procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of PSAs used in the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. This objective will be accomplished by pursuing three specific aims: 1) Identify and catalog features of youth-focused PSAs featured in the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign that reflect their sensation value;2) Identify regions of the brain activated by exposure to high and low sensation value anti-drug PSAs as a function of individual differences in sensation seeking;and 3) Examine the association between brain activity following exposure to anti-drug PSAs and short-term changes in drug-related attitudes and behavior. The approach is innovative because it integrates work on a potent personality targeting factor and state-of-the-science brain imaging and analysis procedures in an effort to predict the influence of exposure to anti-drug PSAs on short-term changes in drug-related attitudes and behaviors by adolescents. The proposed research is significant because it is expected to lay the groundwork for developing an efficient and effective means of evaluating the likely effectiveness of anti-drug PSAs before they are aired in expensive, large-scale campaigns. Relevance to public health: Adolescent drug use is a significant public health concern. Mass media campaigns are an efficient and potentially effective means of reaching adolescents with anti-drug messages. An effective evaluation strategy is vital to the success of this promising strategy for curbing illicit drug use by America's youth. Adolescent drug use is a significant public health concern. Mass media campaigns are an efficient and potentially effective means of reaching adolescents with anti-drug messages. An effective evaluation strategy is vital to the success of this promising strategy for curbing illicit drug use by America's youth.
