Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Mass Media Campaigns

Research Gaps

What are Research Gaps?

Prior to and during the literature review and data analysis, the review team and the Community Preventive Services Task Force attempt to address the key questions of what interventions work, for whom, under what conditions, and at what cost. Lack of sufficient information often leaves one or more of these questions unanswered. The Community Guide refers to these as "research gaps." Research gaps can be pulled together in the form of a basic set of questions to inform a research agenda for those in the field.

Identified Research Gaps

Results from the Community Guide review indicate that under some conditions, well-executed mass media campaigns can contribute to a reduction in alcohol-impaired driving (AID) and alcohol-related crashes. They also suggest that such campaigns are cost saving.

The characteristics of the campaigns evaluated in this review may serve as a preliminary guide to evaluating the potential for success of a proposed mass media campaign, but several research questions will need to be addressed to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of future programs. A list of such questions is provided in the list below. Foremost among these is the question of the relative effectiveness of specific campaign themes and messages. It is unlikely that all potential messages are equally effective for changing drinking and driving behavior, and some may prove not to be effective at all or even to be counterproductive. Another important question relates to the potential impact of the changing media market, with increasing market segmentation, emerging technology to allow consumers to avoid exposure to broadcast messages, and opportunities for individually tailored message delivery via the Internet. The impact of these changes should be evaluated and future campaigns adapted to the changing media environment.

The campaigns reviewed tended to take place in areas with relatively high levels of law enforcement and other activities to prevent AID. These activities may have helped provide a context in which the audience was predisposed to react positively to the campaign messages. It is not clear whether these campaigns might have had similar effects in a setting where strong AID-prevention activities were not in place.

Evaluating Message Content Effects

• What is the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of various campaign themes (e.g., law enforcement, legal penalties, social stigma, guilt, injury to self and others) for reducing AID and alcohol-related crashes? For influencing public support for stronger prevention activities?

Evaluating Message Delivery Effects

• What is the dose–response curve for varying levels of advertising exposure (e.g., none, light, moderate, and heavy)? Does the shape of this curve vary according to message content and the outcome evaluated?
• What is the relative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different media types (TV, radio, etc.)? Paid advertising and public service announcements?
• What is the optimal exposure schedule for AID mass media campaigns (e.g., intermittent waves of messages vs. a steady flow)?
• How should mass media campaigns be adapted to the changing media environment (e.g., market segmentation, Internet, message filtering devices)?

Evaluating Message/Recipient Interactions

• To what extent are certain population groups more or less likely to be influenced by mass media campaigns?
• Are some themes more likely than others to influence “hard-to-reach” target groups (e.g., enforcement themes for "hard-core" drinking drivers)?

Improving Research Design

• What measurement issues need to be addressed to improve assessment of media and message exposure? What research designs can best address problems in measuring exposure?

Evidence Review

Elder RW, Shults RA, Sleet DA, et al. Effectiveness of mass media campaigns for reducing drinking and driving and alcohol-involved crashes: a systematic review. [PDF - 668KB] Am J Prev Med  2004;27:57-65.