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Issue addressed: Australia has smoking prevalence of less than 15% among adults, but there are concerns that the rates of decline have stabilised. Sustained mass media campaigns are central to decreasing prevalence, and the emotions evoked by campaigns contribute to their impact. This study investigates the association between potential exposure to campaigns that evoke different emotions on quitting salience (thinking about quitting), quitting intentions and quitting attempts. Methods: Data on quitting outcomes were obtained from weekly cross‐sectional telephone surveys with adult smokers and recent quitters between 2013 and 2018. Campaign activity data were collated, and population‐level potential campaign exposure was measured by time and dose. Results: Using multivariate analyses, a positive association between potential exposure to 'hope' campaigns and thinking about quitting and intending to quit was noted, but no association was seen with quit attempts. Potential exposure to 'sadness' evoking campaigns was positively associated with quitting salience and negatively associated with quit attempts, whereas those potentially exposed to campaigns evoking multiple negative emotions (fear, guilt and sadness) were approximately 30% more likely to make a quit attempt. Conclusions: This study suggests a relationship between the emotional content of campaigns, quitting behaviours. Campaign planners should consider campaigns that evoke negative emotions for population‐wide efforts to bring about quitting activity alongside hopeful campaigns that promote quitting salience and quitting intentions. The emotional content of campaigns provides an additional consideration for campaigns targeting smokers and influencing quitting activity. So what?: This study demonstrates the importance of balancing the emotional content of campaigns to ensure that campaign advertising is given the greatest chance to achieve its objectives. Utilising campaigns that evoke negative emotions appear to be needed to encourage quitting attempts but maintaining hopeful campaigns to promote thinking about quitting and intending to quit is also an important component of the mix of tobacco control campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue addressed To describe self-reported bowel cancer screening participation, beliefs and attitudes in a sample of New South Wales (NSW) adults, and to identify beliefs and demographic factors associated with self-reported bowel cancer screening participation. Methods This study used data from the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership Module 2, a representative population-based telephone survey. Self-reported participation in and beliefs about bowel cancer screening were measured using the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer survey of people aged 50 years and over living in NSW, Australia (n=2001). Logistic regression modelling was used to identify explanatory variables associated with bowel cancer screening participation. Results Half of all women (54.1%, 95% CI: 50.8-57.4%) and two-thirds of men (65.7%, 95% CI: 61.5-69.9%) reported screening for bowel cancer within the previous 5 years. Believing that screening was only necessary when experiencing symptoms was more likely to be endorsed by people aged 65 years and over (25.5%, 95% CI: 22.2-28.7%) rather than younger (50-64 years; 16.7%, 95% CI: 13.8-19.7%), non-English-speaking migrants (35.4%, 95% CI: 26.7-44.1%) versus others (18.6%, 95% CI: 16.4-20.7%), and people in metropolitan (23.3%, 95% CI: 20.4-26.1%) versus non-metropolitan areas (16.4%, 95% CI: 12.8-20%). People who disagreed that screening was only necessary when experiencing symptoms were four times more likely to report screening participation (OR 3.96, 95% CI: 3.11-5.03). Conclusions Community education about bowel cancer screening is needed to correct misperceptions regarding screening in the absence of symptoms. Tailored strategies for older, migrant and urban communities may be beneficial. So what? Education strategies that promote the need for screening in the absence of symptoms and correct misconceptions about bowel cancer screening amongst subgroups of the NSW population may improve screening rates and decrease the burden of bowel cancer in NSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]